Schumacher confirms F1 comeback
Schumacher will make his much-anticipated comeback to F1 in 2010 with Mercedes GP
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Thursday, 24, Dec 2009 12:31
By Adam Leveridge
Michael Schumacher will make a much-anticipated comeback to formula one, after signing a one-year deal with Mercedes GP worth £6 million.
Over the weekend, Schumacher had quit his post with Ferrari as a consultant for their road-car division to clear the way for a sensational comeback to formula one.
Speculation that Schumacher has signed a deal with Mercedes GP has been gathering pace for days and the German is believed to have flown to the UK on Tuesday to sign a contract.
At a press conference on Wednesday, the Brackley-based team finally confirmed that the seven-time world champion would partner former Williams driver Nico Rosberg at the outfit in 2010.
Schumacher has spent the last three years in retirement, after quitting the sport at the end of the 2006 season.
The seven-time world champion was due to make a return midway through the 2009 season as a substitute for the injured Felipe Massa, who was seriously injured in a freak accident during qualifying for the Hungarian grand prix, when he was struck on the head by a loose spring.
Schumacher's plans were scuppered, however, when medical checks revealed a lingering neck injury he has sustained during a motorbike test in February, had not healed sufficiently to cope with the pressures of driving an F1 car.
Schumacher said he was asked by Mercedes GP team principal Ross Brawn, who masterminded his seven previous world championship successes with Benetton and Ferrari, to race for the team back in November.
"The motivation is pretty straightforward," said Schumacher.
"I got a call from Ross Brawn at the beginning of November asking me to race again, telling me Mercedes were going to be involved.
"I've never left the race track, and after three years I regained the energy I'm feeling now. After playing around on motorbikes, I'm ready for the serious stuff.
"Before giving the final okay, I had to make sure my neck was okay," he said. "It wasn't okay in the summer, but it's had the time to heal completely.
"We are talking about a three-year deal.
"It's not just a one-off thing. We are talking about continuation."
And when asked whether he was worried about putting his reputation on the line by returning to the sport, Schumacher said: "I hope they will judge me on what I've done before. Brawn is a team that won both championships last year, they now have a strong partner in Mercedes, so the only aim is to go for the championship."
Schumacher also said that he had consulted wife Corinna on his comeback.
"I had to sort out my personal situation before entering this new one," he explained.
"She could see the spark in my eyes, and so she didn't really argue."
Team principal Brawn said he is delighted to be able to give Schumacher the platform to make his much-anticipated return to F1.
"As seven-time world champion, Michael's outstanding record in F1 speaks for itself and I am looking forward to working with him again," said Brawn.
"With the completion of our driver line-up, I believe that we now have the most exciting partnership in F1 with Michael and Nico, who provide the perfect mix of talent, experience, speed and youth.
"We can now turn our full attention to the preparations for the new season and everyone at Mercedes GP is extremely excited about the challenge ahead."
Brawn says the early signs from the windtunnel are positive and he is confident the team can deliver a better car than the BGP 001, which helped Jenson Button romp to the 2009 drivers' and constructors' titles.
"We know that the numbers [from the windtunnel] say we have a much better car," said Brawn.
"Whether it will be enough, nobody knows. But what I do know is that if it is not then we have the people here to react to make sure we are competitive."
Mercedes-Benz motorsport boss Norbert Haug recalled his first encounter with Schumacher back in 1991 when he was part of the German manufacturer's young driver programme.
"In April 1991, when I had been in charge of the Mercedes-Benz motorsport programme for just six months, Michael was standing beside me on the balcony one evening," said Haug.
"Michael had just turned 22 years of age and four months later, he made his debut at Spa in a Jordan.
"Mercedes-Benz helped him to this point and the rest is history.
"As part of the Mercedes Junior Programme, Michael had raced in Group C sports cars and competed in a few DTM races.
"Ross Brawn, then our opponent at Jaguar, quickly realised Michael's talent and they went on to win all seven of his drivers' world championship titles together at Benetton and Ferrari."
Haug said that one of Mercedes' main sporting ambitions was to work with Schumacher again and that he used to joke with the seven-time world champion about this idea after races.
"We often joked about it after the races and discussed the prospect seriously several times during the last 14 years in F1," said Haug.
"It didn't happen in 1995, it didn't happen in 1998 and it didn't happen in 2005. I am delighted that it will now happen in 2010.
"I am very much looking forward to working with Michael and everybody at Mercedes-Benz and Daimler extends a very warm welcome to our 'apprentice' of 19 years ago. That apprentice is now the most successful racing driver of all time."