Schumacher coming back

Schumacher coming back

Awful circumstances, but what do you think of Michael Schumacher coming out of retirement to stand in for Felipe Massa?

It'll certainly be interesting, but how is he going to get race fit and get used to the car?

Mind you even if he's only half as good as he was at his peak he'll still be better than most of the current lot.

Schumacher coming back

The reaction from the drivers has been good. Hamilton is obviously loving the prospect, seeing as he was so disappointed that Schumacher retired the year before he started in F1. One shame is that Alonso - who was the "pretender" when he retired - will be absent from Valencia, pending an appeal to Renault's suspension.

One point - as raised during a recent interview at the German GP - is that he was the only German in F1 in his time, and now there is Nico Rosberg, Timo Glock, Adrian Sutil, and Sebastian Vettel. All of which are quick drivers. Vettel is reckoned to be the "New Schumacher", and along with team-mate Webber, Button, Hamilton etc. I relish the prospect of them battling with the - arguably - greatest driver in F1 history.

There is some question as to how it will affect Raikonnen, given that he is the Number one driver, but he got a 2nd in the last race, but it might spur him on, it might not.

Fitness wise though, I would think he is not far from the target. He likes to keep active from what I can make out, and is a keen football player. Plus of course, one of his "hobbies" is racing Superbikes. Sure, at 40, he can hardly be world class, going from being a "Track-day" racer to competitor, but it does require a degree of fitness. The big question though is that earlier this year he had an accident while testing a racing bike, and damaged his neck. Minor stuff normally, but with the G-forces involved in F1, it is a concern.

The other hurdle to get over is driving a 2009 car. He recently drove a 2007 car, most likely with slicks to get used to them again, but they have changed a fair bit since them. He has been using a simulator for a while, but because of the testing ban during the season, he can't drive the car until the first practice at Valencia.

That said, FOTA (The Team association) have said they are happy for Ferrari to let him test beforehand, they just need approval from the FIA.

As a fan, I look forward to seeing him up against the new boys, but I think it may even help as a PR exercise for the sport in general.

There is even talk of him being signed up for next year, in the event of Massa being unfit to race, but I am sure that even he would step aside for a new-boy.

Whether he can win or not remains to be seen. The Ferrari has recently shown some improvement, so he is very likely to be seen on the podium a few times..

Looking forward to Valencia regardless.

Schumacher coming back

Oh well, the neck is not holding up, so that is the end of that ! Shame really, I was quite looking forward to seeing how he would get on.

Schumacher coming back

Durgemeister said: ▲ Oh well, the neck is not holding up, so that is the end of that ! Shame really, I was quite looking forward to seeing how he would get on.

I now suspect this was all just a publicity stunt in the first place.

Schumacher coming back

Scrotnig said: ▲ I now suspect this was all just a publicity stunt in the first place.

The thought had crossed my mind. But the way I see it is that unlike other teams it would appear, Ferrari don't have an "up and coming" youngster testing for them (I think there is a second test driver... not sure). Luca Badoer spent four seasons in F1 between 1993 and 1999, and amassed the grand total of 0 Points in 48 race starts, and has worked as a Ferrari Test Driver for 10 years.

So his experience of the car is without question, but the only other person that had the race-craft to win within the company was Schumacher. I have been intrigued by his 2-wheeled exploits, and knew about this accident around the time it happened.

It was just a pre-season test for the German Superbike championship, and it was doubtful he would even get on a bike again for some time this year, but despite being a very physical sport, the G-Forces do not compare to that in a F1 car.

He is apparently disappointed, as no doubt the likes of Hamilton and Vettel are, as are of course the fans - myself included - but he isn't truly fit.

Whilst Badoer may know the car off by hand, he doesn't know several of the tracks, and like I said, his career - despite being in rather crappy teams - was hardly glittering. However, this time he is in - according to the last race - a competitive car, so maybe it will be his time to shine.

Schumacher coming back

He may be familiar with the car, but he hasn't raced for over 10 years. Going very fast round a test track on your own isn't really adequate preparation for for taking on 21 other cars. And of course, because of the ban on mid-season testing, he won't have driven the car in its current configuration in race trim at all. He will be effectively stepping into a new car for the first time tomorrow.

That said, overtaking at Valencia was impossible last year, so if he qualifies well he could score some points.