only here in spirit *hic*
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AUG
01
2009
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.
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