It may be that there is nothing better to talk about during this painstaking four week summer break that the Formula One circus enjoys each season, but over the past couple of days, talk of Michael Schumacher’s future has again resurfaced.
Ever since the seven-times world champion stepped into his Mercedes for the first time at the start of 2010, it has been all about whether the German would have it as easy as he did in his “first” career.
When it was apparent that this wasn’t the case, it became a case of whether his comeback was numbered.
People put it down to his age, time spent away from the cockpit, the notion that the championship winning (Brawn GP) car’s successor was a dud, the (pardon the pun) radical changes which had swept through the sport since his initial 2006 retirement, and finally, the notion that he simply wasn’t up to it anymore.
Then they said, in the second year we’ll know whether his return has worked out.
Early in the season, the cynics were all over Schumacher, saying he’d hardly made a step forward from 2010.
But following his “lets wind the clock back” drive to fourth at Canada, there was hope.
From this race, he suffered broken front wings’ at the hands of Vitaly Petrov and Kamui Kobayashi respectively, coming off worse for wear on both occasions despite looking racey, especially at Silverstone, putting in arguably the drive of the day to climb from seventeenth to ninth.
Only an uncharacteristic spin on still drying ripple strip denied him the opportunity to beat team-mate Nico Rosberg to seventh at the pair’s home event, and at Hungary, he ran as high as fifth before gearbox failure crulled his afternoon.
Still, in the abyss of the seemingly endless sabbatical that the sport is currently enjoying, the major talking point seems to be, will Michael Schumacher retire at the end of the season?
Somehow, certain individuals have disregarded his drives, which have been far more impressive than at first glance, and misinterpreted comments from the man himself.
Three-time champion and a man who made a comeback himself, winning one of those titles upon his return, Niki Lauda, believes that the German should hang up his helmet for a second time after Brazil, cutting short his initial three-year contract.
The Austrian, candid as ever, said that “I honestly don’t think it will work out for Michael now”, adding that “this year is the same as last” in regards to the German’s position in the drivers’ standings.
There is every chance that all of this conjecture has been caused by the lack of a scandal relating to Bernie Ecclestone, Lewis Hamilton’s latest outburst or something extraordinary, but the comments itself are baseless nevertheless.
If anything, Lauda should have said what he did following Turkey, Schumacher has shown marked improvement, regardless of where he’s finished, since that race.
Schumacher himself has admitted that victories are not a realistic target this season, nor even podiums perhaps, but the signs are absolutely there, that he is on the improve, and he could find himself dicing for a fourth or a fifth place, rather than the customary ninth place, sooner than people think.
It would also make no sense to stop now, when it is obvious that in 2012, Mercedes will almost certainly have a package finally worthy of challenging for podiums and perhaps even victories given the right variables, so he should at least stick around to enjoy a return on his investment.
He was rushed out of Ferrari in 2006 for Kimi Raikkonen, and although the Finn went on to win the title the next season, Schumacher’s decision was a mistake, and he admits as much.
Hopefully, all of this talk is nonsense and Schumcher is fully committed to seeing out his initial contract, affording himself the chance to bow out on his terms.
Then everybody, including myself, can stop re-writing articles bringing up the same things trying to defend the man who was the scourge of the Formula One fraternity for over a decade!
Get season 2011 back underway already, the pause is killing me!
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