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Michael Schumacher's Woes
It's the question so many people in the paddock have asked: "Why did Michael decide to make a comeback?" And following his overall performance so far into the 2010 season, the seven time World Champion is beginning to cop flak from all directions concerning his pace. Did he make the right decision to come back?
Now, it is fairly easy to criticise Schumacher's decision to come back out of fear that he will dent his almost flawless reputation. However after 9 races the learning period seems to have ended for the German as the dream team of Brawn and Schumacher is not quite as dangerous as first expected.
During this season we have seen the expertise which Schumacher previously prided himself on. The last corner overtake on Alonso at Monaco was a daring and bold move only a several time Champion could muster and a solid 4th place at turkey showed the World that maybe the old Michael was coming out of hibernation. But a consistent lack of race pace; especially reflected in Valencia where he finished 15th, the German's lowest ever finish, has caused some concern for his future.
Perhaps it's because the World expects to see the old Schumacher in action, the man who could drive a car in 5th gear for most of a race and hold 2nd position or fight off Damon Hill in the wet with slicks. This man simply doesn't exist anymore. Mercedes have linked Schumacher's lack of pace to the car for a while now, but these excuses simply do not cut it anymore. Although David Coulthard did remark that the new age cars require many more gear shifts than previous cars, this is something which Schumacher may struggle with and Coulthard even cited the newer cars as being partially responsible for his retirement. So it is possible that the post 2005 cars are not a hit for the older drivers, which leads me to my next point...
Maybe Michael is just too old? The wave of younger drivers like Hamilton, Vettel and Kubica seem to be stealing the spotlight in recent times. Then again, veterans such as Barichello, Webber and Alonso (He's a fairly experienced driver when you think about it) have proved themselves to be strong in recent times.
So maybe it's just Michael. A combination of these factors leads to a bad season, especially with pressure being applied constantly. Now for what you didn't expect:
I applaud Michael Schumacher for making a return which defied so many people's opinions. Yes, he is a seven time World Driver's Champion. Yes, he will almost certainly dent his records, particularly his win:race ratio where he still remains behind the great Juan Manuel Fangio. BUT, is motor racing about statistics? No. It is about the passion and obsession for doing something you love. Schumacher is, and will always be a legend, even if he made what seemed like a silly decision to return to F1. He decided to return to the sport that he loved, to do what he loves, to race at the pinnacle of motorsport, and any of us would do just that given the chance. So personally, I believe that Michael Schumacher is not the same driver as he used to be, but he is doing something he enjoys none the less.
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Fair enough...