iSport's Motorsport Expert Kunal Shah can't wait to see Michael Schumacher back in action! But why is he back? And that too with Mercedes Grand Prix? Kunal tries to explore...
It’s a little ironic that the best F1 news of 2009 has come after the season is over! Well, the Brawns did clinch both the F1 titles on their debut, but that piece of news is now stale!
Michael Schumacher is back! The speculation and rumours aside, both Mercedes Grand Prix and Michael Schumacher made their alliance and comeback news public yesterday. The global media and PR machinery have been on an overdrive to unearth the truth of this story as have been the discussions between Schumacher, Mercedes Benz and of course Ferrari.
Whether this alliance will work in 2010 and whether Mercedes GP and Schumacher will be victors can be left to anyone’s guess, but Ferrari already seems to be the biggest loser! In the last 4 years, they’ve lost 4 off their top personnel to either rivals teams or rival series! Jean Todt is now leading the FIA and its causes, Ross Brawn scripted a splendid victory for Brawn GP this season, Kimi Raikkonen is off to the World Rally Championships and of course Michael Schumacher too has deflected to Mercedes GP! All this to accommodate a much changing team and more so, a Fernando Alonso!!
Michael Schumacher is back! The speculation and rumours aside, both Mercedes Grand Prix and Michael Schumacher made their alliance and comeback news public yesterday. The global media and PR machinery have been on an overdrive to unearth the truth of this story as have been the discussions between Schumacher, Mercedes Benz and of course Ferrari.
Whether this alliance will work in 2010 and whether Mercedes GP and Schumacher will be victors can be left to anyone’s guess, but Ferrari already seems to be the biggest loser! In the last 4 years, they’ve lost 4 off their top personnel to either rivals teams or rival series! Jean Todt is now leading the FIA and its causes, Ross Brawn scripted a splendid victory for Brawn GP this season, Kimi Raikkonen is off to the World Rally Championships and of course Michael Schumacher too has deflected to Mercedes GP! All this to accommodate a much changing team and more so, a Fernando Alonso!!
But why is Michael Schumacher back? What made him make his comeback for real? Well, firstly he’s back for real because his neck is now mended. For most who think that money is the motive are seriously mistaken! Yes, the multi-year deal is rumoured to make Schumi richer by 20 million Euros, but money surely is not the driver for Michael Schumacher who during his hey-days was one of the highest paid athletes in the world.
So what brought him back? When Schumi retired, most of us believed that it was all over for him, a few knew that he was ‘asked’ to leave and pave way for a Kimi Raikkonen. iSport reported this story earlier in the year and its already become a hot-read topic [click here to read – True Story of Michael Schumacher’s Retirement!]
Ferrari pushed him to the sidelines and made him ‘develop’ their race cars for a few years only to then limit his role to developing road cars from 2010 and forward. While most of us would die for a job like this, a 7 times World F1 Champion might not! That he missed his racing was visible when we saw him attempt bike racing as a hobby and of course his appearances in the Race of Champions annually. In the RoC, he not only participated but also won by beating contenders half his age! His partner in the RoC of Nations was German driver Sebastian Vettel – a short chat with him on Schumi’s dying hunger to race would surely make you believe that Ferrari only doused his hunger and passion for their own benefit! Luca attempting to emulate his mentor and Ferrari founder Enzo on and off the track!
While Ferrari seemed lacking respect for Schumacher, Mercedes Benz had the perfect start in their attempt to lure him. One of Schumacher’s best buddies Ross Brawn, who now leads the Merc GP function, had an informal chat with him on the possibility of driving for Merc GP. The moment they realized that Schumacher’s interest was for real, they not only got the entire F1 team management invovled, but we also saw Board members of Daimler Chrysler fly-in and out of GPs to discuss their seriousness in hosting the German legend in a German car!
After being snubbed by Ferrari, a hungry Schumacher must have found it obvious to accept the Mercedes offer. A team that won both the titles in their debut year would only be more fun to lead forward! A team that is now headed by the man who won him his 7 titles would only be easier to race forward! And how difficult would it be to refuse an offer from a team that is being powered by one of the biggest automobile manufacturers in the world – the same manufacturer that bestowed faith in his talent as a budding racer! Welcome back – Michael Schumacher!
So what brought him back? When Schumi retired, most of us believed that it was all over for him, a few knew that he was ‘asked’ to leave and pave way for a Kimi Raikkonen. iSport reported this story earlier in the year and its already become a hot-read topic [click here to read – True Story of Michael Schumacher’s Retirement!]
Ferrari pushed him to the sidelines and made him ‘develop’ their race cars for a few years only to then limit his role to developing road cars from 2010 and forward. While most of us would die for a job like this, a 7 times World F1 Champion might not! That he missed his racing was visible when we saw him attempt bike racing as a hobby and of course his appearances in the Race of Champions annually. In the RoC, he not only participated but also won by beating contenders half his age! His partner in the RoC of Nations was German driver Sebastian Vettel – a short chat with him on Schumi’s dying hunger to race would surely make you believe that Ferrari only doused his hunger and passion for their own benefit! Luca attempting to emulate his mentor and Ferrari founder Enzo on and off the track!
While Ferrari seemed lacking respect for Schumacher, Mercedes Benz had the perfect start in their attempt to lure him. One of Schumacher’s best buddies Ross Brawn, who now leads the Merc GP function, had an informal chat with him on the possibility of driving for Merc GP. The moment they realized that Schumacher’s interest was for real, they not only got the entire F1 team management invovled, but we also saw Board members of Daimler Chrysler fly-in and out of GPs to discuss their seriousness in hosting the German legend in a German car!
After being snubbed by Ferrari, a hungry Schumacher must have found it obvious to accept the Mercedes offer. A team that won both the titles in their debut year would only be more fun to lead forward! A team that is now headed by the man who won him his 7 titles would only be easier to race forward! And how difficult would it be to refuse an offer from a team that is being powered by one of the biggest automobile manufacturers in the world – the same manufacturer that bestowed faith in his talent as a budding racer! Welcome back – Michael Schumacher!
(The author is a former racer and currently works with Sport18 - a div. of Network18. Kunal can be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
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