Schumi Confirmed!

Debaser · Post by **Debaser** » 23 Dec 2009, 13:41

I'm not fond of Schumi tbh, I still remember him annihilating the opposition year after year. I would hope every race for Montoya to knock him off, honestly. The 2003 US GP when he got lucky with the weather to basically clinch the championship and Montoya got a contentious penalty that put him out of the championship was dreadful, I remember wanting to cry (I was only 10 or 11 years old). But man will it be good to see him, Alonso and Hamilton fighting on track, that will be worth seeing. I'm not sure the Mercedes car will be that good mind, Brawn built the car while fighting for the championship and see Renault for what that did to them.

eagleash · Post by **eagleash** » 23 Dec 2009, 13:51

Debaser wrote:I'm not fond of Schumi tbh, I still remember him annihilating the opposition year after year. I would hope every race for Montoya to knock him off, honestly. The 2003 US GP when he got lucky with the weather to basically clinch the championship and Montoya got a contentious penalty that put him out of the championship was dreadful, I remember wanting to cry (I was only 10 or 11 years old). But man will it be good to see him, Alonso and Hamilton fighting on track, that will be worth seeing. I'm not sure the Mercedes car will be that good mind, Brawn built the car while fighting for the championship and see Renault for what that did to them.

Ross Brawn has experience of designing cars whilst closing down a championship!

shinji · Post by **shinji** » 23 Dec 2009, 13:54

eagleash wrote:
Debaser wrote:I'm not fond of Schumi tbh, I still remember him annihilating the opposition year after year. I would hope every race for Montoya to knock him off, honestly. The 2003 US GP when he got lucky with the weather to basically clinch the championship and Montoya got a contentious penalty that put him out of the championship was dreadful, I remember wanting to cry (I was only 10 or 11 years old). But man will it be good to see him, Alonso and Hamilton fighting on track, that will be worth seeing. I'm not sure the Mercedes car will be that good mind, Brawn built the car while fighting for the championship and see Renault for what that did to them.

Ross Brawn has experience of designing cars whilst closing down a championship!

Not with a team as financially stretched as Brawn seemed to be last year. The car will probably (hopefully) be fine though.

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 23 Dec 2009, 14:02

When was the last time an F1 driver had a full-time contract over 15 years after winning his first title?

madcat · Post by **madcat** » 23 Dec 2009, 14:04

As much as I used to dislike the man, it will be good to see him back. I'd expect him to be very competitive, he's not questioning what to do for the future, he'll be very kin to be back. Maybe more relaxed than before, not as much to prove (I'm refering to the 2nd class team mate being there to help me scenario). Maybe now he'll be here to enjoy racing. But the old saying of "You can't teach an old dog new tricks..."

shinji · Post by **shinji** » 23 Dec 2009, 14:09

dr-baker wrote:When was the last time an F1 driver had a full-time contract over 15 years after winning his first title?

Not really a full time contract, but Graham Hill was still hanging around in F1`13 years after his first championship. He probably would have finished up anyway though were it not for the plane crash.

eagleash · Post by **eagleash** » 23 Dec 2009, 14:16

shinji wrote:
eagleash wrote:
Ross Brawn has experience of designing cars whilst closing down a championship!

Not with a team as financially stretched as Brawn seemed to be last year. The car will probably (hopefully) be fine though.

I expect so. It's the ability of the designer that really counts. Many teams have been rich & underachieved.

Nin13 · Post by **Nin13** » 23 Dec 2009, 15:07

rffp wrote:
Nin13 wrote:Motorsports is a big place, not just F1!!

I know that, but it does *not* exclude F-1! But my hope is that he find a place in some ostracized category, far, far, away from F-1!

Why exactly? What he did wrong? Piquet Jr. we know was treated badly in Renault team by Flavio, almost like guinea pig. As he said himself during FIA extraordinary meeting, pre-season he did just 5 days of testing, that too 2 days in wets while Alonso got 10-12 days with new car.

shinji · Post by **shinji** » 23 Dec 2009, 15:10

Nin13 wrote:
rffp wrote:
Nin13 wrote:Motorsports is a big place, not just F1!!

I know that, but it does *not* exclude F-1! But my hope is that he find a place in some ostracized category, far, far, away from F-1!

Why exactly? What he did wrong? Piquet Jr. we know was treated badly in Renault team by Flavio, almost like guinea pig. As he said himself during FIA extraordinary meeting, pre-season he did just 5 days of testing, that too 2 days in wets while Alonso got 10-12 days with new car.

It's not just the low standard of driving - it's crashgate, and the ramifications of it. He also came off as an arrogant, spoilt brat, see his complaints about Noda and Buemi.

lostpin · Post by **lostpin** » 23 Dec 2009, 16:01

AllTorque wrote:How please must Rubens Barrichello be that he left Brawn and missed the chance of being Schumi's number again

Don't worry, Rubens will be No.2 to Hulkenberg now...

rffp · Post by **rffp** » 23 Dec 2009, 16:04

shinji wrote:
Nin13 wrote:Why exactly? What he did wrong? Piquet Jr. we know was treated badly in Renault team by Flavio, almost like guinea pig. As he said himself during FIA extraordinary meeting, pre-season he did just 5 days of testing, that too 2 days in wets while Alonso got 10-12 days with new car.

It's not just the low standard of driving - it's crashgate, and the ramifications of it. He also came off as an arrogant, spoilt brat, see his complaints about Noda and Buemi.

Amem to that! Piquet Jr is not an inept driver, but he is a schmuck. There are overrated drivers in F-1, but Piquet is one that overrates himself more than anyone else, even our hysterical press. His father was an unpleasant man to many, but at least he was talented and had obtained enough results in the track to gloat. What did this brat do eactly? He won the first A1 GP race and got a fortuitous podium! The local truck race driving here in Brazil is the right place for him to continue his career.

RejectSteve · Post by **RejectSteve** » 23 Dec 2009, 16:56

rffp wrote:Amem to that! Piquet Jr is not an inept driver, but he is a schmuck. There are overrated drivers in F-1, but Piquet is one that overrates himself more than anyone else, even our hysterical press. His father was an unpleasant man to many, but at least he was talented and had obtained enough results in the track to gloat. What did this brat do eactly? He won the first A1 GP race and got a fortuitous podium! The local truck race driving here in Brazil is the right place for him to continue his career.

Piquet Jr in Formula Truck? Campo Grande 2005 all over again.

Cynon · Post by **Cynon** » 23 Dec 2009, 17:41

...and there goes Nico Rosberg's career, right out the window...

Pieman · Post by **Pieman** » 23 Dec 2009, 18:35

RejectSteve wrote:Piquet Jr in Formula Truck? Campo Grande 2005 all over again.

Was I seeing things or were they using a helicopter as a pace car?

LionZoo · Post by **LionZoo** » 23 Dec 2009, 19:13

If Michael Schumacher wins the title next year...

1. It's Schumi's "F YOU!" to Luca di Montezemolo, who arguably forced out Schumi from his Ferrari seat by signing Kimi to a ridiculous contract and then proceeded to break up the Byrne, Brawn, Todt, and Schumacher dream team.

2. It's Mercedes' "F YOU!" to McLaren, who refused to sell and ended up with Mercedes having to buy Brawn. Mercedes will be proving that they can succeed without McLaren.

3. It's Brawn's "F YOU!" to Jenson Button since he'll have proved that his decision to not pay him out the nose was correct.

4. It's old age and treachery's "F YOU!" to the perception that only young guns can succeed in F1.

5. It's Schumi's "F YOU!" to Barrichello. Just because.

thehemogoblin · Post by **thehemogoblin** » 23 Dec 2009, 19:17

Part of me is excited to see my favorite driver return, but the other part is really disappointed that he didn't have enough.

Snoozey2 · Post by **Snoozey2** » 23 Dec 2009, 19:19

Phoenix · Post by **Phoenix** » 23 Dec 2009, 19:21

Cynon wrote:...and there goes Nico Rosberg's career, right out the window...

If that happens, it will be his fault all the way. He mustn't crack under the pressure of Schumi. If he wants, if he keeps his head cool, he can beat Schumi easily.

kaiserfranz · Post by **kaiserfranz** » 23 Dec 2009, 19:56

I can't deny I would have rather seen Heidfeld in the second Merc. I was never a fan of his (pulling for the Hills, Häkkinens and Montoyas all those years) but I can't deny that I'm very excited about 2010.

lostpin · Post by **lostpin** » 23 Dec 2009, 21:03

This is definitely a season that I'll follow closely...

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 23 Dec 2009, 21:15

Here's an interesting stat about Schumi's comeback...

• It's the first time that a driver over 40 years of age has climbed into a Formula 1 car during a race weekend since Chanoch Nissany tested for Minardi at the 2005 Hungarian Grand Prix on the 29th of July. It was his 42nd birthday

FullMetalJack · Post by **FullMetalJack** » 23 Dec 2009, 21:23

If Nico Rosberg can match or somehow beat Schumi, his stocks will surely rise. This could be a good opportunity for Nico.

minrdi · Post by **minrdi** » 23 Dec 2009, 21:46

This is sensational news for the sport, I am thrilled!

Tell you who isn't exactly thrilled... Rubens Barrichello. He issued a rather lukewarm tweet this morning...

I can't imagine him running ahead of Schumacher on track too many times in 2010!

CarlosFerreira · Post by **CarlosFerreira** » 23 Dec 2009, 22:28

redbulljack14 wrote:If Nico Rosberg can match or somehow beat Schumi, his stocks will surely rise. This could be a good opportunity for Nico.

Honesty disagree. If he beats him, everyone will say he has just beat an old geezer - unless he's crowned WDC in the process.

watka · Post by **watka** » 23 Dec 2009, 22:55

CarlosFerreira wrote:Still speechless. I was one of the non-believers in all the Schumy-to-Mercedes hype, and now it's proven to be true.

His last race, as many will remember, was magnificent - one of his best drives, and as a result, one of the best drives in the sport in the last decade and a half or so. I liked remembering The Schumster for that race - I hope he doesn't screw up the fond memories many of us hold. Besides, 3 years? If he can pull it off, he's Superman.

Good chance for Rosberg to show he's good - or is it? Schumacher has seen off every team mate he's had, I'm curious to see how Rosberg will stack up. Should Nico beat him fair and square, everyone will say it's because Schumy is old. If he's beaten by the most successful driver ever, he'll have been beaten by an old geezer. It's a lose-lose situation if I've ever seen one.

Same here CF, I was a naysayer, but it's happened. In my opinion, next season will be wide open and there's no reason that Schumi can't win the championship. I don't think that anyone will completely dominate the season next year, Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes should all be capable of winning races, but luck may just fall Schumi's way, as it so often has before.

Rosberg has a very hard season ahead of him. He's proved that he can rack up the 4ths and 5ths, but he now has to win races against some tough opposition, and I can see Mercedes jumping 100% behind Schumacher and the first hint that Rosberg is the tiniest bit slower than Schumacher.

Waris · Post by **Waris** » 23 Dec 2009, 23:02

This news has really filled me with so much joy and excitement that I nearly cried. I'm serious, this man has made me so happy for years when I was a little child, he was one of my real childhood heroes I guess, someone I was always cheering for even when he was making F1 one of the most boring sports in existance. And it certainly makes this off-season the most exciting one we had in years!! Who could've imagined we would see Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Michael Schumacher, Bruno Senna and Kamui Kobayashi fight against each other in one F1 season? Now all we need is Jacques Villeneuve to come back and I will take back every mean thing I said about 2010 and hug it and cherish it in my heart forever, even to the point (pardon the pun...) where the points system won't bother me one bit anymore.

There is just one little sad though. It is impossible for Rubens Barrichello to become World Champion when Schumi is on the grid... though, to look at things from the bright side, surely this means Barrichello must stick around til at least 2013, which makes me very happy!!

watka · Post by **watka** » 23 Dec 2009, 23:12

Also another connotation for this, what is left of Kubica's career prospects? I was half expecting him to end up with Mercedes, but now he's at a broken Renault team that really has nothing to offer him. He really needs to get out of that team for 2011, but I don't see where he would go (maybe Red Bull if Webber or Vettel left).

CarlosFerreira · Post by **CarlosFerreira** » 23 Dec 2009, 23:12

watka wrote:Rosberg has a very hard season ahead of him. He's proved that he can rack up the 4ths and 5ths, but he now has to win races against some tough opposition, and I can see Mercedes jumping 100% behind Schumacher and the first hint that Rosberg is the tiniest bit slower than Schumacher.

Everyone in F1 got the present they wished the most. Rosberg pulled the shortest straw, and got what I believe is the present he dreaded the most.

thehemogoblin · Post by **thehemogoblin** » 24 Dec 2009, 00:17

CarlosFerreira wrote:
watka wrote:Rosberg has a very hard season ahead of him. He's proved that he can rack up the 4ths and 5ths, but he now has to win races against some tough opposition, and I can see Mercedes jumping 100% behind Schumacher and the first hint that Rosberg is the tiniest bit slower than Schumacher.

Everyone in F1 got the present they wished the most. Rosberg pulled the shortest straw, and got what I believe is the present he dreaded the most.

It's not that bad. I'd rather be the second driver on a really good team than the first driver on a bad one.

Frentzen127 · Post by **Frentzen127** » 24 Dec 2009, 02:33

[quote="thehemogoblin]It's not that bad. I'd rather be the second driver on a really good team than the first driver on a bad one.[/quote]
I'm quite sure Ghinzani or Sutil would disagree!

thehemogoblin · Post by **thehemogoblin** » 24 Dec 2009, 02:45

Uh, Rubens Barrichello.

I digress.

Frentzen127 · Post by **Frentzen127** » 24 Dec 2009, 02:52

Objection!

thehemogoblin · Post by **thehemogoblin** » 24 Dec 2009, 02:59

Frentzen127 wrote:Objection!

Oppression!

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 24 Dec 2009, 03:02

thehemogoblin wrote:
Frentzen127 wrote:Objection!

Oppression!

Help help I'm being repressed! Now we see the violence inherent in the system. :mrgreen:

Ah what's a forum without random Monty Python quotes :lol:

baddriving50 · Post by **baddriving50** » 24 Dec 2009, 03:51

Wizzie wrote:Ah what's a forum without random Monty Python quotes

Useless?

RFT · Post by **RFT** » 24 Dec 2009, 10:23

Jordan192 wrote:There are two or three drivers who do stand to genuinely kill their reputations next year, and Schuey's not really one of them.

Button, Alonso, and, er, Hamilton?

CarlosFerreira · Post by **CarlosFerreira** » 24 Dec 2009, 10:28

RFT wrote:
Jordan192 wrote:There are two or three drivers who do stand to genuinely kill their reputations next year, and Schuey's not really one of them.

Button, Alonso, and, er, Hamilton?

Mmmm, Rosberg, Massa, Button?

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 24 Dec 2009, 10:45

RFT wrote:
Jordan192 wrote:There are two or three drivers who do stand to genuinely kill their reputations next year, and Schuey's not really one of them.

Button, Alonso, and, er, Hamilton?

Kobayashi has a reputation to uphold doesn't he?

TeamTipper · Post by **TeamTipper** » 24 Dec 2009, 10:59

Has schumacher passed a fitness test yet?
I was thinking do u think he has done some secret testing with brawn/mercedes?
I think its only good for F1 to see a legend (even if he hasn't been clean eg Monaco 2006) to show the youngsters a thing or two.

eytl · Post by **eytl** » 24 Dec 2009, 15:12

eytl wrote:Just think of all the different storylines:

* The reunion of Schumacher and Brawn, and Schumacher and Mercedes.
* Schumacher v Hamilton v Alonso v Button ... 11 championships between them - when was the last time (if ever) there were that many "championships won" on the grid?
* Schumacher v Ferrari ... Schumi going up against the team with which he has had a near-spiritual bond since 1996.
* Schumacher v Senna ... there's a great poignancy to the resumption of this battle.

The more you think about it, the more subplots emerge.

* As already mentioned, what does this mean for eg Rosberg, Kubica, Heidfeld?
* Schumacher v Vettel - old and new "Wunderkinds"
* Schumacher v Massa - Felipe has virtually been Michael's protege since 2006
* Jean Todt is now FIA president, of course ... anyone standing up?
* All sorts of "longest gap between first and last" records will be shattered - races, potentially poles, wins etc.
* As already mentioned, oldest driver in an F1 car since Nissany
* Oldest driver to start a race since Nigel Mansell
* Schumi will be the only man in the field who has previously won a non-refuelling Grand Prix

Schumi's comeback alone could generate enough stories and points of interest to fill an entire season!