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by **tristan1117** » 30 Jul 2009, 11:42

I'm shocked at the news. My jaw dropped and I was rendered speechless foe several seconds. Unfreakingbelievable. Shades of Mansell, michael Jordan and now Lance Armstrong. Schumi must have been inspired by his predecessors.

But I'll still laugh if he flops.

by **Chilled Phill** » 30 Jul 2009, 14:03

Me too, Tristan. :lol:

But I don't quite understand the logic here. Although I'm not one of Schumacher's biggest fans, and I say with a nice large helping of salt :roll:

, he is a very quick driver, but come on! He's never been in this season's Ferrari - he hasn't been in an F1 car since April last year and that was a completely different car! F1 has made a reasonably large transition since Schumacher has retired:
- Lack of Traction Control
- Less Downforce Generating Cars
- Heavier KERS cars

And many more that I can't remember, atm. :lol:

However, whilst I appear to be skating on very thin ice when I say this but, I seriously doubt he'll win a race this season, I'll give him a couple of podiums at the end of the season at the most. Then again, I thought Nico Rosberg would win in Hungary so you can take that prediction and throw it in the bin if you want, I know I will... :lol:

Would be interesting to see if the stewards do anything about Michael's typical start line tactics (assuming he does, of course. :idea:

) and see if he gets a penalty like Webber did in Germany.

by **razta** » 30 Jul 2009, 14:58

Ahem...

back from 2008
Maranello, 16th April

Circuit: Catalunya Circuit - 4.655 km
Driver: Michael Schumacher
Car: F2008
Weather: air temperature 11/22 °C, track temperature 13/34 °C. Slightly cloudy.

Third day of testing this week for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, working again today at the Catalunya Circuit, near Barcelona, with Michael Schumacher getting back behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car.

The day's programme centred on trying various different types of Bridgestone tyre aimed at 2009, using an F2008 that had been modified to try and reproduce the levels of aerodynamic downforce expected next season.

The day in figures is as follows: 83 laps for Michael, the quickest in a time of 1.19.323.

he was second fastest and the only guy in the test setting up the car for 2009!
oh and the fastest time of the day was Fernando alonso working on the 2008 renault in 2008 configuration with 1m18.483

by **Libertango** » 30 Jul 2009, 16:42

This is BRILLANT for Ferarri because all the attention will be on them. Nobody cares if it's not because of what's happening on the track. F1 is a show not only a race :roll:

by **JDOD** » 30 Jul 2009, 17:14

Why are people worried about him tainting his legacy?

It can't really be tainted that much more than it already is.

by **Faustus** » 30 Jul 2009, 17:38

I was absolutely stunned about this. He has nothing to gain from this and everything to lose. I really hope he doesn't make an arse of himself and, as other people have already posted, make a Mansell of himself.
What if Schumacher outpaces Kimi? Will they then get rid of Raikkonen for next year?

by **CarlosFerreira** » 30 Jul 2009, 19:29

Faustus wrote:I was absolutely stunned about this. He has nothing to gain from this and everything to lose. I really hope he doesn't make an arse of himself and, as other people have already posted, make a Mansell of himself.
What if Schumacher outpaces Kimi? Will they then get rid of Raikkonen for next year?

I disagree with the first part; can't really see Schumi making an Alan Jones/Nigel Mansell out of himself.
As for the second part, if it happens, it'll probably show Kimi in an even worse light. Not sure if he can hang on to the seat, if that's the case.

by **fjackdaw** » 30 Jul 2009, 19:46

Would t his be the first time over 20 years has covered the age ranges on the grid? And, for that matter, four decades - teens, 20s, 30s and 40s.

by **jackanderton** » 30 Jul 2009, 19:51

Funny how I was so happy to see him go, I'm quite positive about his return, though Luca Badoer's selection would've been more of a fairytale. Adds a bit of extra spice to the season, undoubtedly.

I'm not sure he'll fancy his chances of going further than to the end of the season, or to the point where Massa recovers to race-fitness.

by **DonTirri** » 30 Jul 2009, 19:54

Goddammit... Now I am on a tight spot... AGAIN

I grew up HATING Schumi and Ferrari (Hey, I'm a Finn, Häkkinen was THE guy for me... and Lehto's fate still makes me mad)

First I had to learn to support Ferrari when Kimi came there and now... the guy I hated for over ten years (94 Adelaide - 2006 last race) is driving as a team-mate for my favorite driver of the grid... Can't really will ill for him... :E

Atleast Häkkinen knew when to retire... permanently.

by **Ross Prawn** » 30 Jul 2009, 20:17

chrismcn wrote:Is Michael going to be the number 2 to Kimi?

Hee, hee. Imagine Michael leading Kimi on the last lap at Valencia, and then being instructed to slow down and let KimI past. :lol:

Frank Williams once said that 'Schumacher in a pram is dangerous.' I think he's going to embarrass a few people.

by **dragonsteincole** » 30 Jul 2009, 21:35

Nin13 wrote:This seems to be wierd year. First Lance Armstrong comeback, now Michael Schumacher. What's next?

But of course, despite just missing out on his home gp, it will be HWNSNBM, in some capacity.

Also, we know that the F60 is at least a decent points scorer, but how fast will it go around the Valencia track? That, of course means handing it over to a tamed racing driver...

by **CarlosFerreira** » 30 Jul 2009, 23:36

dragonsteincole wrote:Also, we know that the F60 is at least a decent points scorer, but how fast will it go around the Valencia track? That, of course means handing it over to a tamed racing driver...

... Some say that he'd rather drive a cab than the F60...
... and that a couple of faces on the grid aren't sleeping quite so well since it was announced he'd come back...

by **Waris** » 31 Jul 2009, 02:28

My prediction is that he won't do much in Valencia, since it's an unknown circuit for him and he needs to get used to the car, so he will have an average finish, maybe not even in the points, after which the media attention will calm down, and/or opportunistic media will already start to call his comeback a flop, but after this one mediocre race he will have figured it out (he's a very intelligent driver), and from what's the next? Spa or Monza? on we can see him compete for better spots.

by **razta** » 31 Jul 2009, 03:28

Imagine the interviews in the Thursday press conference:

"So what upgrades have you brought to Valencia?

Brawn GP: "New aero package for the car"

McLaren: "Improved diffuser and new front wing"

Ferrari: "Michael Schumacher"

by **RejectSteve** » 31 Jul 2009, 04:21

CarlosFerreira wrote:
dragonsteincole wrote:Also, we know that the F60 is at least a decent points scorer, but how fast will it go around the Valencia track? That, of course means handing it over to a tamed racing driver...

... Some say that he'd rather drive a cab than the F60...
... and that a couple of faces on the grid aren't sleeping quite so well since it was announced he'd come back...

... all we know is he's called The Schu.

by **WeirdKerr** » 31 Jul 2009, 04:56

Jack O Malley wrote:
chrismcn wrote:Is Michael going to be the number 2 to Kimi?

With 7 races still to go, and Button on the lead with 70 points and 6 wins, Schumacher may still win his 8th championship.
So I think Michael will get the first drive at Ferrari.

OMG.... never thought about that...... ummm im not a betting man but.......hmmmm no i dont like the taste of hats.....

by **LionZoo** » 31 Jul 2009, 05:46

I'm waiting for someone to nominate him for ROTR.

Having said that, welcome back Schumi! You're certainly adding a more colorful twist to what's been an up and down season. I don't think the comeback will be that big of an issue as a lot of people are already expecting him to struggle and he's definitely not in a title contending car. As long as he doesn't do a Lance Armstrong he should be able to go back into retirement with his dignity intact.

by **Fnordsrus** » 31 Jul 2009, 07:43

I agree with Waris. Schumi will probably be average in Valencia but hey come Spa 'Bring on the magic'
I hated when he won everything but OMG I have missed him since.
I wonder if this will hasten Raikonnen's departure. I reckon Kimi's best years were all used up at Mclaren.....
Thoughts gents.
One last thing I bet Bernard Charles Ecclestone is loving this in lieu of all the nonsense we have been through recently.

by **fjackdaw** » 31 Jul 2009, 07:49

Jaime Algersuari wasn't expecting this competitor for his second race! It's like making it to the final of Britain's Got Talent and suddenly finding the Beatles have reformed and agreed to take part in the show.

by **Life w12** » 31 Jul 2009, 07:55

So will they have to reconfigure the cockpit to fit his chin?

by **Paul Hayes** » 31 Jul 2009, 08:09

Who knows? Maybe Massa's condition will turn out not to be nearly as bad as anyone feared, and with the four-week gap he won't end up missing any races anyway.

by **Debaser** » 31 Jul 2009, 08:41

"This isn't a normal substitute, its an M&S substitute".

by **FullMetalJack** » 31 Jul 2009, 08:54

It's gonna be weird for Alguesuari, Schumacher's over double his age. He was 1 year old when MS made his debut back in the good old days. This is an interesting build up to the race.

by **eytl** » 31 Jul 2009, 11:39

fjackdaw wrote:Would t his be the first time over 20 years has covered the age ranges on the grid? And, for that matter, four decades - teens, 20s, 30s and 40s.

In the 1961 Italian GP, Ricardo Rodriguez was 2nd on the grid on his F1 debut, aged 19. Jack Fairman qualified 26th and was 48.

In the 1963 French GP, Chris Amon was still just 19, and Maurice Trintignant was 45. The next race, the 1963 British GP, took place on Amon's 20th birthday, and on the grid was Ian Raby who was 41.

Mike Thackwell's only start as a 19-year-old came in the 1980 Canadian GP. Mario Andretti was also on the grid, and he was 40.

The other teenagers in F1 were Fernando Alonso in the first half of 2001, Esteban Tuero in the first few races of 1998, and Sebastian Vettel in his one-off for BMW in 2007. I'm sure there were no drivers 40 and over at those times.

So Alguersuari and Schumacher would only be the fourth time in World Championship history that a driver in his teens and a driver 40 and over start the same race, and the first time in nearly 29 years.

by **Zeroninety** » 31 Jul 2009, 17:43

eytl wrote:
fjackdaw wrote:Would t his be the first time over 20 years has covered the age ranges on the grid? And, for that matter, four decades - teens, 20s, 30s and 40s.

In the 1961 Italian GP, Ricardo Rodriguez was 2nd on the grid on his F1 debut, aged 19. Jack Fairman qualified 26th and was 48.

In the 1963 French GP, Chris Amon was still just 19, and Maurice Trintignant was 45. The next race, the 1963 British GP, took place on Amon's 20th birthday, and on the grid was Ian Raby who was 41.

Mike Thackwell's only start as a 19-year-old came in the 1980 Canadian GP. Mario Andretti was also on the grid, and he was 40.

The other teenagers in F1 were Fernando Alonso in the first half of 2001, Esteban Tuero in the first few races of 1998, and Sebastian Vettel in his one-off for BMW in 2007. I'm sure there were no drivers 40 and over at those times.

So Alguersuari and Schumacher would only be the fourth time in World Championship history that a driver in his teens and a driver 40 and over start the same race, and the first time in nearly 29 years.

There were also a number of races in the 1950's that four decades covered the grid--in those cases, 20's, 30's, 40's and 50's. Looking at the 1951 German GP, for example, Jacques Swaters was the youngest driver in the field, at 24, while Philippe Etancelin had 30 years on him, at 54. There were some old drivers back then.

by **JDOD** » 31 Jul 2009, 18:07

Paul Hayes, even if the eye injury is not as bad as first feared (we all hope its not, I'm sure)
He still had a skull fracture, there is no way he would be allowed to race with anything other than a perfectly intact skull.

by **Paul Hayes** » 31 Jul 2009, 20:04

JDOD wrote:Paul Hayes, even if the eye injury is not as bad as first feared (we all hope its not, I'm sure)
He still had a skull fracture, there is no way he would be allowed to race with anything other than a perfectly intact skull.

Sounds sensible!

by **Nin13** » 31 Jul 2009, 21:00

Michael Schumacher has began his preparation to return to Formula 1 action at the European Grand Prix next month.

The seven-time world champion will replace Felipe Massa in the Valencia race as the Brazilian continues with his recovery following the accident he suffered at the Hungarian Grand Prix last weekend.

Schumacher travelled to Ferrari's factory in Maranello yesterday, where he worked at the static simulator to check the functionality of the steering wheel.

The German has borrowed an F2007 car and he is reported to be testing at the Mugello circuit today since 11am.

Schumacher admitted that he is trying to get as much mileage as possible before his return, even if it means driving old cars.

"There is this test ban in Formula 1, therefore I contacted some of the guys from F1 Clienti if they could give me a car," Schumacher wrote on his website.

"Although those cars are not current or last year's ones, I simply like to drive as much as possible, so this is a good option. The next weeks will be totally on preparation then."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/77445

Schumacher tests in Ferrari simulator

Michael Schumacher was able to get his hands on a Ferrari F60 steering wheel for the first time on Thursday, although the German was making best use of the Italian team's simulator in a season where mid-season circuit testing in banned.

Having not raced in Formula One since the end of 2006, 40-year-old Schumacher is undergoing a series of fitness tests on the run-up to Valencia's European Grand Prix on the penultimate weekend of August. "I was in Maranello in the afternoon to check the functionality of the steering wheel in the static simulator," the German explained on his website.

"Of course I was also taking the opportunity to again discuss with the engineers on how to proceed further; there is this testing ban in Formula One, therefore I contacted some of the guys from F1 Clienti, if they could give me a car." The name refers to Ferrari's team of technicians in its Maranello workshop. "Although those cars are not current or last year's ones, I simply like to drive as much as possible so this is a good option," Michael added. "The next weeks will then be totally preparation."

http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2009/07/ ... simulator/

by **Nin13** » 31 Jul 2009, 21:01

At 40 years, seven months and 20 days, Michael Schumacher will be the oldest F1 driver to start a Grand Prix in 14 years when he makes his highly-anticipated return at Valencia next month.

But that doesn’t bring him anywhere near the record for an oldest Grand Prix starter. He’ll have to come back in 2024 if he wants to break that…
Oldest F1 race starters

Here are the ten oldest drivers to start a round of the F1 world championship:
1. Louis Chiron, 55y 09m 19d, 1955 Monaco Grand Prix
2. Philippe Etancelin, 55y 06m 08d, 1952 French Grand Prix
3. Arthur Legat, 54y 07m 20d, 1953 Belgian Grand Prix
4. Luigi Fagioli, 53y 00m 22d, 1951 French Grand Prix
5. Adolf Brudes, 52y 09m 19d, 1952 German Grand Prix
6. Hans Stuck, 52y 08m 17d, 1953 Italian Grand Prix
7. Bill Aston, 52y 04m 05d, 1952 German Grand Prix
8. Clemente Biondetti, 52y 00m 16d, 1950 Italian Grand Prix
9. Louis Rosier, 50y 09m 00d, 1956 German Grand Prix
10. Rudolf Schoeller, 50y 03m 07d, 1952 German Grand Prix

Record-holder Chiron, who was born in the 19th century, did make a subsequent attempts to qualify for the further races. His last was in 1958, aged 58, again at Monaco.

It’s plain that in the 1950s Formula 1 racing was the preserve of a much older generation of drivers. At the other end of the scale, last weekend saw the debut of the youngest F1 driver ever, Jaime Alguersuari, less than half Schumacher’s age.

But it’s not as if younger drivers did not also compete. Peter Collins entered the 1952 Swiss Grand Prix at the age of 20 years, six months and ten days. Troy Ruttman was four months younger when he raced in the 1950 Indianapolis 500, then a round of the world championship.

The last driver older than Schumacher to start a race was Nigel Mansell, who was 41 years, nine months and six days old when he made his final, ill-fated appearance for McLaren in Spain in 1995.

Since then Channoch Nissany, a 41 year-old Israeli businessman, bought a Minardi test in 2005.
Oldest champion racers

Schumacher will not even rank among the top 100 oldest F1 drivers of all time. And the record for the oldest Grand Prix winner is a long way out of sight, too: Luigi Fagioli claimed that in the 1951 French Grand Prix, aged 53 years and 22 days.

However Schumacher will be the seventh oldest former champion to start a race:
Giuseppe Farina, 48y 7m 6d, 1953 Belgian Grand Prix
Juan Manuel Fangio, 47y 12d, 1958 French Grand Prix
Graham Hill, 45y 11m 11d, 1975 Brazilian Grand Prix
Jack Brabham, 44y 6m 23d, 1970 Mexican Grand Prix
Mario Andretti, 42y 7m 28d, 1982 USA Grand Prix (Las Vegas)
Nigel Mansel, 41y 9m 6d, 1995 Spanish Grand Prix
Michael Schumacher, 40y 7m 20d, 2009 European Grand Prix*
*Race yet to be run

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2009/07/31/s ... r-drivers/

by **razta** » 31 Jul 2009, 21:34

http://www.bild.de/BILD/sport/motorspor ... alien.html

testing pics from Muggello today

by **jackanderton** » 31 Jul 2009, 21:37

'Das Comeback'!

nice!

Didn't it say he was testing the 2007 car there?

by **muttley** » 31 Jul 2009, 21:45

jackanderton wrote:'Das Comeback'!

nice!

Didn't it say he was testing the 2007 car there?

Yep:

Schumi sitzt wieder im Auto! Die ersten Bilder von seinem Test im 2007er Ferrari auf der Rennstrecke in Mugello

by **Paul Hayes** » 31 Jul 2009, 22:15

It's definitely a good idea, gets around the testing ban and makes sure his neck is up to it. I expect he'll do a fair few tests in the F2007 between now and Valencia.

by **Nin13** » 01 Aug 2009, 00:30

The Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) has agreed with Ferrari's request for Michael Schumacher to test its 2009 car at Mugello over the weekend. Although permission must be granted by the FIA for the run to go ahead, the German has currently run only the 2007 car on Friday.

New-for-2009 testing rules state that no running is allowed on circuits during the season apart from on Grand Prix weekends, although Ferrari discovered a loophole in sporting regulations which allowed its F2007 model to be used by Schumacher in Italy on Friday; whereas last year's car was prepared by Ferrari itself, the double title-winning 2007 version was prepared by F1 Clienti - although this is a workshop essentially owned by the Scuderia, rules state that running the car is not officially classed as a test.

With the target being to reduce weight whilst strengthening the seven-time World Champion's next muscles follow a motorcycling accident in February, the Italian squad wrote to the FIA and all teams with the hope of running the German in 2009's F60 car.

FOTA - with represents all current teams bar Williams and Force India - has accepted this proposal, as vice president of the group John Howett has explained. "I believe all FOTA teams have agreed to accept their request," he told SpeedTV. "The situation for Felipe is very unfortunate and this is a sporting gesture which we are confident Ferrari will respect."

From: http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2009/07/ ... cher-test/

FOTA have agreed to let Michael test 2009 car!! I thought they would object!!
Lets see what FIA do......

by **razta** » 01 Aug 2009, 01:40

http://video.sky.it/videoportale/index. ... 1355439001

He looks soooooo smooth, doesn't even look like he was away for this time!

by **Paul Hayes** » 01 Aug 2009, 02:14

Interesting development that he's going to be allowed to test the 2009 car. I am quite surprised the other teams have agreed to this, but I suppose that in the circumstances with Massa being injured it's a decent thing for them to do.

by **razta** » 01 Aug 2009, 02:18

yeah, it's purely cos of the freaky circumstance

by **Paul Hayes** » 01 Aug 2009, 02:23

Presumably it's also a sign that the test in the 2007 car went well and there were no ill-effects from the neck injury. So they feel they can take the next step in his preparations.

by **razta** » 01 Aug 2009, 02:36

yeah, looks like it.

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