Schumacher preparing for 2011 as Ferrari-McLaren fight for top spot
What goes up must go down. The laws of physics have become so true for Michael Schumacher in the racing circuit since his return after retirement. It has been learned that the legendary Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher, who is widely recognized as being the world’s best driver, has started to turn his attention towards next season. Schumacher is already out of contention for an 8th Formula One win after he returned to Formula one after three years in retirement.
In 1995, Michael was the youngest double Formula One World Champion (1994 and 1995 seasons). Schumacher has a chequered history as he has won the 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 World Champion. This phenomenal record speaks for itself. His sixth title in 2003 beat Juan Manuel Fangio's long standing record of five championships since the 1950’s.
Schumacher then retired from F1 as a driver towards the end of the 2006 season but was retained in a consultancy role by Ferrari. Michael's last championship title in 2004 was secured before the season end, which took his total Championship titles to a whopping seven. However three years later in 2010, Michael announced his return to F1 racing, but this time to race for the Mercedes GP team, having signed a three-year contract with them.
The great drivers return to the circuit was not an easy one. During his first couple of outings, sentiment amongst his fans was searing as they believed that it was a mistake for Schumacher to come back to the sport. But these concerns slowly faded away. In the recent Turkish Grand Prix, Schumacher displayed a steady improvement with Mercedes. Fourth-placed finishes in two of Schumacher’s last three races have proven that the German still has what it takes to compete at the highest level. Only the form and pace of the Red Bulls in particular, and McLaren also in the last outing in Turkey, have denied the 41-year-old a coveted place on the podium.
But even after such a slow start to his return, Schumacher still sit in ninth place in the drivers' standings, trailing championship leader Mark Webber by 59 point thus already looking at 2011 in a bid to win his eight title. However on the other side, Lewis Hamilton is hoping to bring McLaren close to the title in Montreal this weekend to go for back-to-back wins. Hamilton has claimed pole position in each of his two previous races at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, and clinched his maiden Formula One triumph in 2007 in only the sixth race of his career.
Hamilton says that he has generally performed quite well in Montreal and says the circuit is a bit of a street circuit which he seems will do just fine. He said that the track has suited his driving style and thus hopes that this weekend will be the same for him. Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, who has just renewed his contact with Ferrari, was grateful to the management for their continued faith in him to complete what has been a "rollercoaster 18 months”. Ferrari confirmed that they had signed Massa for the next two years. This takes the Brazilian through to the end of 2012.
Massa, while speaking at the Montreal Circuit said that from his point of view, it's just fantastic to continue for Ferrari as it shows that everybody from the team trusts him and this is a very good point for him to keep pushing harder all the time and to keep working with the team to achieve the best. Massa further went on to say that Ferrari is what he always wanted which is why so he is very happy to stay with Ferrari - a team that he always dreamed of racing for. This will be Massa’s fifth championship with Ferrari and to stay for another two years with Ferrari means that he still has a long way to go.
However after these hiccups, Massa is preparing himself with a renewed confidence. Massa became a father and now has a new contract with none other than Ferrari – news that can change the future of Massa’s future in Formula One Championship. The deal also allays rumours the Maranello Marque were set to ditch the 28-year-old and make a move for Renault's Robert Kubica who is good friends with Massa's team-mate, Fernando Alonso. Massa however believes that whatever rumours erupt off the field, he only cares about his job in the team so that he can perform to the best of his ability.
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