Michael Schumacher Still Confident Despite Qualifying 15th at the European Grand Prix
7-time world champion Michael Schumacher has set the record straight with his critics and said that he did not make a comeback just because he had nothing better to do; instead it was a well planned decision. Schumacher said that he is in the sport for the long haul. The former Ferrari driver gave these comments after the qualifying session at Valencia which was his worst of the season so far.
Michael Schumacher lined up on the 15th place on the starting grid at the European Grand Prix.
He was also the centre of criticism after less than impressive performance in Canadian GP earlier.
Schumacher said that he did not return with a short term plan. He said that he and his team Mercedes compiled a 3 year program when he decided to make a comeback. He added that while making a return to the sport he did not think of himself as a 7 time world champion, but just another man making his way into the sport. Schumacher said the sport has changed to a great degree since he called it a day, so he needs to be given a fair amount of time to get used to the new regulations.
Michael was struggling at the Valencia GP when he had some braking problems with his Mercedes, and almost dropped out in the first qualifying session.
Even though he made it into the 2nd qualifying session, he was less than impressive, not being able to show the control one has come to expect from him. The German driver could only manage 15th place in the end.
He was still 0.670 seconds behind Sebastian Vettel who took pole and ended up winning the race.
Mercedes believe that the inability of the team to use tyres more efficiently was the reason that held them back. However, Schumacher still believes there is time for him to improve.
Michael Schumacher, after starting the race on 15th, went on to finish the race on the same spot.
He was still not hugely disappointed and believes that it is just the part of the process; he said that obviously he thought at the start of the season that he would be in much better condition after Valencia GP, but still, it is not that disappointing and there is enough time in the season left to improve.
Michael added that the team has been working hard all season long, and he is sure that the results will be there for everyone to see in due time.
Schumacher's problems in Valencia came two weeks after he found himself under fire for his performance in Canada, where he could only manage 11th position.
The legend of the game was heavily put under the hammer when he forced Renault's Robert Kubica over the grass and also for a late squeeze on his former teammate Felipe Massa's Ferrari.
However, Michael shrugged off the criticism saying he was not bothered. Schumacher said that he has been in the sport long enough not to be bothered by these minor issues.
Just to add to Schumacher’s problems, there were rumours in Valencia linking Robert Kubica with a possible move from Renault to Mercedes for 2011. Even though both teams did not acknowledge the rumours, it still puts more pressure on Schumacher.
When the legend Michael Schumacher decided to make a comeback, many had asked the question that what does he have to gain from his return, and now with half the season gone, critics are still asking the same questions. Let’s just hope that he comes up with the goods in the final half of the season to prove that his decision to make a comeback was the correct one.
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