Will Michael Schumacher retire again?
Michael Schumacher may not be making headlines this season for his efforts on the track, but he sure was on the front pages before the season began. When the game legend decided to make a comeback to the sport, there were great expectations and a sense of optimism. However, it didn’t turn out the way most had hoped.
Schumacher though had warned his fans and the media not to expect wonders from him, and well, he was quite right. The 7 time world champion hasn’t been able to impress much in his comeback season with Mercedes, and lies 9th on the table with 14 races gone by. Michael, in the season’s middle, had said that he is feeling his way back in an F1 car and he should be given some more time.
He had added that it is not a one season stint and he is back for the long haul. But after consistent disappointing performances, there is a suggestion that the legend may once again call it a day. The Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn has however said that the team would remain the same for next season which affectively means that Michael would be driving for them in 2011 also.
Despite what the experts believe, more reaffirming words came from Schumacher's spokeswoman, Sabine Kehm. She said that Schumacher is not thinking of going back into retirement and would be back in an F1 car next season. The phenomenon known as Michael Schumacher has in general struggled this season. He has been by far less impressive of the 2 in Mercedes.
His team mate, Nico Rosberg has outperformed him by a distance. A big reason for his lack of results is believed to be his inability to adapt to a Mercedes car and the type of tires used in the F1 cars this season. Schumacher was also criticized recently, when in an effort to hold on to his place in the race, he had almost pushed his former team mate, Rubins Barichello into the concrete wall at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Michael was penalized by the race stewards and he had to drop down 10 places at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Eddie Jordan, an F1 pundit believes that despite the statements from Brawn and Michael’s spokeswoman, the signs suggest that Schumacher is considering walking out of the sport once again. He said that Michael has a 3 year contract with Mercedes but that is no assurance that he would last the whole term. Meanwhile, there are rumors that Ross Brawn, the principal at Mercedes, may also be on his way out of the team. That in it-self would be a great indicator that Schumacher may be considering his options.
Schumacher was brought back to F1 by Brawn, an old friend with whom Michael had enjoyed so much success when both of them were at Ferrari. Brawn was the team principal at Ferrari when Schumacher won multiple world championships, and the partnership between the two was termed as legendry. Last season, when Schumacher’s former team mate Felipe Massa suffered a concussion in an unfortunate accident at the Hungarian Grand Prix, there was this big news of Michael making a comeback to Ferrari to help out his former team and his good friend and prodigy, Massa.
But due to a neck injury he cancelled his plans. Brawn had approached the former world champion then and convinced him to get back in the cockpit next season. It still remains unclear whether Michael Schumacher would remain in the sport or not, but one thing is clear; if he decides to stay, he wouldn’t settle with a mediocre season that he has had this year.
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