Michael Schumacher undecided on his future in the sport – Formula 1 news
Michael Schumacher says he still requires some more time to decide whether he will continue driving in Formula 1 beyond the end of the 2012 season.
Nico Rosberg has already signed a deal with Mercedes until 2013 and that has grown speculation over the future of the former world champion. Though Schumacher has said that he has yet to negotiate with Mercedes, but before that he wants to make sure, if the team is headed in the right direction and whether they are progressing enough as a team.
Since Schumacher returned to the sport, he has not been able to get a single podium finish in the last two seasons. Although there has been progress recently, but Schumacher feels as if it has come later than he expected it.
“I need a little bit more time to see about myself and how we are heading, and some input to see if that is what I want or not,” Schumacher is quoted by Autosport.com.
“It is more about how we maximise the potential of what we have made. It took some while to do, talking about our general performance. You have to assess where you are and what needs to be done, and then to transform it. You would rather do this early than late, but we have to understand that we were later than we hoped to be,” he further added.
Mercedes took over former champions Brawn GP in 2010, but have failed to emulate the success of its predecessor so far. Schumacher explained how Brawn’s success was a culmination of hard work and effort over the span of a few years prior to their 2009 title. Just like that, at Mercedes they have put in the effort and the hard work, although the results have not shown up as hoped.
The real question is whether the improvement and the results can be translated into success in the near future or not, and that is mainly what will be the deciding factor for Schumacher to stick with Mercedes and prolong his career beyond the end of his contract with Mercedes which ends after 2012.
It will be interesting to see how Schumacher and Mercedes fare at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, starting from Friday, November 11, 2011.
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