Formula One: Michael Schumacher will improve, says Norbert Haug
Michael Schumacher, arguably known as the best driver ever to handle the Formula One stick in its nearly six-decade history, will well and truly be on course to resume his winning ways come the 2011 Formula One season, according
to Mercedes team boss Norbert Haug.
Michael Schumacher, who retired at the end of the 2006 season, surprised the Formula One fraternity as he made a shock return to the multimillion-dollar motorsport last year Opting to join forces with Ross Brawn in the Mercedes
team, things didn’t go as planned. The German not only failed to register a pole position in the 19 rounds that took place last season, but was also completely outshone by his teammate Nico Rosberg, who finished the campaign 70 points ahead of the veteran.
This time however, Schumacher has his chance to make a mark yet again on a sport that he has dominated in the past with the Ferrari F1 team. The German often complained that the 2010 Mercedes model wasn’t built with respect to
his driving style seeing that he wasn’t involved in the car’s build-up. However, after an entire season of ‘modern-time F1 racing’ under his belt plus the opportunity to be involved in this year’s testing, the new Mercedes might be easier to tame for the seven-time
world champion.
“Michael needs to adapt again, it's a different Formula One that he was used to before,” said Haug. “He will have a better year when our car is competitive and I think we have every reason to believe that we have a car that will
a big step forward compared to last year's."
The new MGP WO2 Silver Arrow has recently been put on show for the racing community to see. The newer model is understood to be ‘more sophisticated’ and with Schumacher’s desire to improve upon a horrid comeback season, things look positive for the Mercedes
camp. The new Mercedes comes in line with the latest regulations for 2011 F1 racing. The adjustable rear wing and the KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) are some of the innovations for the upcoming format that encourage track overtaking, a ploy that seeks
to silence F1 critics who claim that compared to Nascar, Formula 1 is a dull sport often won from the pit lane.
Since the driver controls the adjustable wing and the KERS system, we might be in store for an F1 season that relies more on the skill of the driver than the machinery he has at his disposal. As far as Michael Schumacher’s fate
is concerned, it seems he’s run out of excuses and will need to prove his worth on the track at age 42.
The Mercedes launch follows that of Ferrari last Friday, Lotus Renault, Team Lotus and Sauber on Monday, and world titleholders Red Bull and Toro Rosso on Tuesday.
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