Michael Schumacher blames car shortcomings for his dismal form
Former World Champion, Michael Schumacher has blamed his Mercedes car for his current sorrow state in Formula One season. Schumacher has been under heavy criticism lately for his poor and unconventional style. He was scathed by critics recently when he tried to overtake his former team-mate Barichello during the race in a highly risky manner. He was even penalized by race stewards for this move.
Schumacher has failed to impress or rejuvenate his past form which enabled him to win F1 Championships for record 7 times. He is currently 9th in the drivers’ standing whereas his young team-mate Nico Rosberg has been quite impressive this season. Rosberg also has consistently out-qualified and out-raced him. However, Schumacher believes that it is not his racing ability which has diminished with time but the technical capability of Mercedes that has let him down this season. Talking to reporters, former Ferrari driver said, “Looking at the points table one surely cannot be satisfied but there are reasons for the deficit being so great.” Schumacher prefers ‘pointy’ and responsive front end which is not available in his current car. Brawn GP car was designed to suit Jenson Button’s preference of under steer. Button last year won F1 Championship with the same before shifting to McLaren for current season.
Another problem being faced by Schumacher is his inability to efficiently use his Bridgestone tires that grain more quickly indirectly hampering his chances. Commenting on his car and tires, Schumacher said, “This is the car that was put into our hands. It is a remnant of what was created last year. As a result there are many compromises that the driver has to deal with. The car is not at all in harmony with the tires, or also with us as the drivers.”
Mercedes is now out of the race for top three positions in constructor’s championship. Similarly, its drivers won’t be able to break into the first half of the table which is dominated by Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari drivers. But still, Mercedes and Schumacher are hopeful for the next year’s challenge. Schumacher said, “We have to ensure that the [new] car blends correctly with the drivers. We are working harder than ever so that we can go for the titles.”
On the other hand, former Formula One drivers have come to the rescue of Ferrari as the latter was criticized for undue favor to Fernando Alonso in the German Grand Prix. Nelson Piquet Jr. and Gerhard Berger believe that Ferrari has every right to favor Alonso in his contention for the championship. Ferrari came under heavy criticism after it asked Felipe Massa to pull over so that Alonso could pass him and claim victory. Ferrari was also found guilty of breaching ban over team orders. Consequently, the Italian team has been asked to explain its actions to the Formula One governing body of the World Motor Sport Council, next month. But Piquet Jr. believes that Ferrari has always favored the quicker man. Piquet Jr., who was Alonso’s team-mate at Renault, said, “It's hard for Massa to coup with the fact that Alonso came into the team later but is faster than him. Massa has to work out a way to go faster than Alonso - there's nothing else he can do.”
Similarly, according to Berger, it is obvious that Ferrari favors the Spaniard over Brazilian. He added that after Ferrari successfully signed in the two-time World Champion, it was already clear that he would be the team leader also. Same was the case with Schumacher and Barichello as former was preferred over the latter by Ferrari.
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