Michael Schumacher admits Nico Rosberg is the better driver
Seven time world champion Michael Schumacher has been struggling this season with his team Mercedes as teammate Nico Rosberg who had been constantly outperforming him. The German admitted that he is not on Nico’s “level” at the moment but hopes to turn the tables around soon. Michael was beaten by Nico on 10 occasions in qualifying and is currently 56 points behind him in the drivers’ standings.
Michael told Formula 1’s official website that after looking at all the details, he has to admit that he is not driving at Nico’s level at the moment but that is only true for qualifying. The German believes that they performing at par with each other in the races and the 41-year-old claims he knows how to change that fact and he is working on it.
The former world champion explained that the handling of the Mercedes car does not suit his driving style but the team is working on changing that.
“True, every driver has his own driving style and you have to work with the team so that you feel comfortable with the package. I achieved that with Ferrari. However, that does not happen overnight. It is no secret that at the moment our car has characteristics that don't suit me. Now it is up to us to change that. Then the situation will be different”, Schumacher added.
Michael told the Formula 1 official website that he returned to the Formula 1 believing that he will be able to achieve his goal that is to win the world title. The German accepts that it will take time and this season has been tough for the team, as they believed that they would be more competitive this season but unfortunately, this has not been the case.
Michael began his Formula 1 career in the year 1991 with team Jordan. The German scored 4 points in his debut season that earned him the 14th place in the drivers’ standings. This was the worst year for Michael as he never finished under the 5th position after that race till date. After joining Benetton in 1992, Schumacher stayed with the team until 1995.
Schumacher scored two championships with the team in the years 1994 and 1995 and scored 19 wins, 38 podiums and 10 pole positions during 4 seasons with the team. The German joined Ferrari in the following year and drove for 10 years in this team. Schumacher won the team their first championship in 2000 after 21 years and the beginning of the high point of his career began this year as he scored a record of winning 5 drivers’ championships in a row.
Schumacher won the title from 2000-2004 before losing to the Spaniard in the Renault Fernando Alonso in the years 2005 and 2006. Michael’s best performance was in the year 2004 when he scored 148 points with the help of 13 wins, 15 podium positions and 8 pole positions securing him the drivers’ championship and gave a record-breaking performance. The German scored 91 wins, 154 podium positions, 68 pole positions and 7 world championships that is a record.
Schumacher holds the record for the highest number of consecutive wins, most wins at the same Grand Prix on 8 occasions at the French Grand Prix, 22 wins at different GP’s, 19 consecutive podium finishes from the U.S. Grand Prix, 2001 till the Japanese Grand Prix, 2002, 197 points finishes, leading for 22,155 kilometers, 76 fastest laps, 40 Doubles (Pole and Win) and 22 Perfects (Pole, Win and Fastest Lap). Michael Schumacher was expected to blow away the critics once more after his return to Formula 1 in 2010 but he has been struggling until now with team Mercedes.
Formula 1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone feels that there is a lot more motivation for Rosberg to get good results in a car that is not performing so well. As a result, Schumacher has not been able to perform at the younger German’s pace.
“When people say that Nico Rosberg is faster than Michael I tell them Nico still has to prove himself. Michael does not. For Nico fourth places are still important - not for Michael. Only winning is what counts for him. Whether he finishes fourth or 14th doesn't really matter for him,” said the F1 CEO.
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