Michael Schumacher Won't Win This Season
When Michael Schumacher announced his return to Formula 1 racing before the start of this season after a three-year retirement, many people thought it would only be a matter of time before he was back in the winner’s circle. After all, Schumacher had won more Formula 1 championships and races than any other driver in history, and at 40 it seemed unlikely that even the lengthy layoff from the sport could have dulled his skills and winning ways.
However, things haven’t worked out nearly as planned. Instead of heading into the German Grand Prix as a returning hero, he heads into the race on one of the worst runs of form in his illustrious career. He’s failed to score in the points in four different races during the first 10 races of the season. His ninth place finish at Silverstone in the last race was a rebound from back-to-back finishes outside of the top 10 in Montreal and Valencia.
In the face of growing scepticism, Schumacher and the Mercedes team have remained resolute. In fact, Schumacher has even said that he still believes that he has a shot at winning the 2010 Drivers’ Championship – this despite the fact that he is 109 points behind Formula 1 series leader Lewis Hamilton going into the German Grand Prix. Some people would regard that statement as supreme confidence while others would consider it as arrogance and chutzpah.
Before Schumacher can think about winning a world championship, he first has to prove that he can win a race. Lewis Hamilton recently suggested that Schumacher would find things much tougher in Formula 1 racing than it was three years ago because of the young, aggressive drivers looking to make their mark on the sport. That certainly has been proven to be true to a certain extent – drivers like Hamilton, Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel have gone up to the top of the Formula 1 standings in Schumacher’s absence.
Schumacher’s chances at winning a Formula 1 race this season are growing progressively weaker with every race. One reason why Schumacher is likely to go winless in his return season is that he simply doesn’t have the intimidation factor that he once did. Schumacher used to win races as much because of his reputation as his driving ability. People knew that he was willing to do whatever it took to win races and championships and could feel his presence on the track. The young guard of drivers doesn’t feel that sense of fear about Schumacher and isn’t intimidated by him.
Another reason that Schumacher likely won’t win a race this season is that it is difficult to consider him to be the top dog at Mercedes. It was thought that by partnering with his former boss Ross Brawn, Schumacher would be in an almost sure-fire scenario for success. However, it hasn’t been Schumacher who has found the greatest amount of success so far this season - his teammate Nico Rosberg has been a revelation at Mercedes while Schumacher has struggled.
Rosberg currently stands sixth in the Formula 1 standings, three places ahead of Schumacher. More stunningly, Schumacher is 54 points behind Rosberg midway through the season. If Rosberg was considered to be the clear support driver starting the season there’s little chance that he could be considered the secondary driver now. Even with Schumacher’s star power, the team has to respect Rosberg’s performance and start treating him as an equal.
The final reason that Schumacher won’t win this season is simple: he doesn’t have equipment that can take him to the top of the podium. There’s little question that the Red Bull and McLaren cars are simply faster than anything Mercedes has been able to put together this season. If Schumacher wants to return to the winner’s circle, Mercedes will need to provide him with a better car, and that likely won’t happen until 2011.
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