Official: Schumacher to make F1 return
Michael Schumacher will drive for the Mercedes F1 team in 2010
Michael Schumacher will return to F1 with Mercedes Grand Prix, the team has announced.
The seven-times champion will form an all-German line-up with Nico Rosberg in 2010. Schumacher said he was “totally fired up for next year”.
He will be re-united with Ross Brawn, who guided Schumacher to all seven of his world championship victories at Benetton and Ferrari.
Speaking to the BBC Schumacher confirmed he was offered the deal in November and insisted that being able to work with Brawn was an important factor in his decision to return:
There was no other combination I would like to work for. Ross is a long-term friend and together we have both won races we shouldn’t have.
Michael Schumacher
In a statement on his official website Schumacher said:
Until recently, I was absolutely sure that I had ended my career as a race driver at Ferrari. But sometimes things change suddenly and unexpectedly. All of a sudden, the framework conditions aren’t the same anymore. At that point, you have to reconsider the decisions you’ve made. And, to tell the truth, the failed comeback attempt last summer gave me reason to reconsider my situation. I was surprised myself how fast and how strong I committed myself to this topic again. Apparently, my batteries recharged completely during the last three years. And when – thanks to Ross – the opportunity arose to drive for Mercedes GP, I realized that my old motivation was back, full of fresh energy and great force.
Michael Schumacher
Schumacher drove for Mercedes in the World Sportscar Championship from 1990-1991, during which time he got his F1 break with Jordan.
He now has the chance to add to his record tally of wins (91), pole positions (68), fastest laps (76) and, of course, his seven world championships.
Since failing to return to F1 this year as a substitute for Felipe Massa Schumacher has kept busy, racing karts in Las Vegas (against Nelson Piquet Jnr and Sebastien Buemi) and winning Massa’s annual karting challenge in Brazil.
What’s your reaction to Schumacher’s return? Are you glad he’s back – or do you wish he’d stayed in retirement? Leave a comment below.
Update: Full statement from Mercedes:
Schumacher and Mercedes
- Is Schumacher’s return a mistake? (Poll)
- Michael Schumacher: the Mercedes years
- Mercedes Grand Prix take over Brawn for 2010
- Michael Schumacher F1 career statistics
- Michael Schumacher’s F1 career in pictures
- Michael Schumacher biography
- 2010 F1 drivers and teams
Image (C) Ferrari spa
I’m really glad, it’s gonna be pretty interesting — Schuey fighting wheel-to-wheel against Ham!
I really don’t know what I’m looking forward to most – Schumi vs Hamilton, Schumi vs Vettel or Schumi vs Ferrari
This is unfair to younger drivers and especially Rosberg who will be compared with the same car. There is no win situation for them. If they lose from him then people will say how much better he is and that they can’t even win him at 41. If they kick the hell out of him then no one is gonna say they are great. People are gonna say that they won him because his 41.
This is all in his benefit. It seems kind of unfair. I’m also sorry for poor Nick. He lost his change to drive for first time in his career in a possible winning car.
If i was Hamilton for example, i would be glad to go wheel on wheel with him if he still got it but i would like people to recognize that i beat him fair and square if i win and not give me “it was because his old” crap afterworlds.
I disagree about Nico and Nick, if Nico kicks the crap out of him he will be an F1 hero. Doesn’t matter that he is 41. If he doesn’t well….that’s his fault.
Nick has had his chance to be great and has always just been consistently decent. He is not losing out because of another driver, he is losing out because of his performance.
I do agree with you about Hamilton, and I think that extends to a few others. It will be hard to say ‘Hamilton beat Schumacher and is therefore better’.
Overall, this just adds to a really interesting season.
I don’t agree – this is still Michael Schumacher and I don’t believe he would be coming back if he weren’t completely convinced he can win.
It’s not about him not being prepared, am talking about what people will say. Let’s say he loses from the new stars on the grid despite driving good and not losing his speed. Will anyone say. A! yeah it’s obvious they were better that him? No. They will look at the number of championships, his fame and they will say: He must not be as good as he was.
Even if himself insist that it had nothing to do with his age people will say that he doesn’t want to admit that his not as fast as he was and that his getting old.
Just like in 2006 when Alonso beat him.
This is great. The legend returns. To top it off he is back with ross brawn. It is going to be a great season. I am also glad they are doing away with refueling. I was so sick of the fuel strategy helping to dictate a race win. Now it will be more about the driver and car instead of “strategy”.
IF he really is coming back, I’ll be glad (even though I’m a Ferrari fan) but I won’t believe that until I see him at the grid at Bahrain.
It’s an official statement from him and the team. The guy signed a contract. What more do you need?
Superb
Woop! Looking forward to the new season.. 80 days and counting.
2010 is going to be an epic train of WDCs unable to overtake each other in heavy fuelled cars!
Ha ha good one
oh ye, of little faith
He has a point though. I’m sure the wet the races will be amazing, as the WDC’s will actually be able to overtake each other. Bring in sprinkler systems, I say!
HE’S BACK!
I’m a Ferrari fan. I would have preferred to see him again on the Rossa…but I’m so happy for his come back that I will support him, all the same.
And yes, and exciting season is going to start!!!
can’t get a better b-day present.. all hail the king!!
F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C!! I’m glad he’s back, of course. However, as a Felipe Massa fan, I get worried and excited. Next season will be the best in history:
1) A complete German (and successful) team, with a senven-times world champion;
2) A complete British (and successful) team, with two world champions;
3) The ban of refuelling;
Oh God… can’t wait to next season.
The familiar sight of germans against the english.
Can the english win for a third time in a row
you’re gonna ruin your career Michael. leaving Ferrari is errr…. you know, dumb decision.
Losing a few races for Mercedes doesn’t equal minus 91 wins or minus 7 world titles so errr… you know, dumb statement.
lol ye i second that,,, plus Mercedes is a SUCCESSFUL team. Its under Brawn management and look at what is possible from the 09 season. I don’t think its that obvious that Ferrari is superior to Brawn (Mercedes GP).
well, It’s not like he’s pursuing a ‘carrer’ anymore. At this point he can do whatever he wants just for fun. Nothing’s gonna ruin his record.
I just think that it’s just one less seat for a new aspiring driver, that’s the only part I don’t like.
I am still surprised Schumacher is coming back to F1, I thought if he ever decided to return it would only be with Ferrari, but then they don’t have a spare seat available.
Although I am not a fan of his I am glad he is coming he is returning as it will add to the competition in F1, four World Champions on the grid in 2010.
Although I don’t think he will be at his peak I think that he should be able to beat Rosberg over the course of the season and win a few races.
what a brilliant season next year will be,
Jenson and lewis at Mclaren
Massa and Alonso at Ferrari
Vettel in a strong red bull
Schumi in a strong Merc
6 people capable of winning the WDC (in theory)
How dumb will we all feel if the WDC is not in a Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren or RedBull!
I don’t like Schumacher at all, but I’m still really excited that he’s coming back.
But now that the driver I love to hate is at an all German team… well let’s just say as a Brit I won’t be supporting Mercedes next season
Does this mean that Merc will become your most disliked team and not Ferrari now?
Well if they start getting the treatment Ferrari was getting when he was there, then i guess many people will hate Mercedes.
OMG i just remembered that his old buddy Todt is the head of the FIA.
No one is gonna bother Mercedes to reduce the engine revs now.
So Merc will have free reign to improve their engines you say….hmm who else would benefit from that?? Why yes, Jenson and Lewis… Ho-ho-ho…sorry, got carried away in the Christmas spirit, meant to say Mwah-ha-hah…
Perhaps they will… when I decide I’ll let you know!
I think there’s a big element of patriotism in who I do and don’t support. One of the reasons I’m anti Ferrari is that they are effectively the Italian national team. Now Mercedes are the German team, and being English I’m inevitably ever so slightly anti German!
Yey a chance Ned may hate Ferrari a little less …good day
I don’t hate them! Hate is a strong word… I just have a significant disliking of them!
Don’t mention the war !!!
…oooops…
So it’s British Mclaren-Hamilton-Button vs. German Mercedes-Rosberg-Schumacher. That’s gonna be a fight.
I hear the faint sound of the Dambusters in the background….!
vs Latin Ferrari-Massa-Alonso.
‘National teams’
Mercedes= German
Ferrari= Italian/ Latin
McLaren= English
Force India= Indian
USF1= American
Lotus= Malaysian
Formula 1 is starting to resemble A1GP!
Great,all we’ll hear from the race commentators for the fisrt 6 races will be Schumacher this Schumacher that.
There will even be a new betting window open for how many times the name Schumacher is mentioned during n F1 broadcast.
There’ll be one first though . It will be the first time in F1 broadcast history that a midfield runner will get more airtime than the leader.
Great! I am tired of hearing Button this Button that….
Do you have great predictive powers by which you already know how everyone will do next year? Seriously, let us in on some of it, we’ll go place some bets.
What? You never heard of the famous “Zeke crystal ball”. It’s a famous all around the world.
Agreed. It’ll totally be like that. Schumacher overload!
Maybe to compensate when ITV was into Lewis this Lewis that….afterall Michael is not a british rookie and is truly the most suscessfull driver in history.
Poor old Nico.
He probab;y didn’t expect to be number 2.
It’s great news though!!!!!!!
BRING ON 2010!!!
Not too bad for Nico long term though as Schumi isn’t going to be around for all that long and he should learn a lot from him (like Massa did) and should also benefit from experience in developing and setting up the car. Nico has to focus on his first win before worrying about championships and he should finally get that this year.
JerseyF1, if Nico does what you say then he will end up being another Barichello. Great drivers don’t sit back and try to learn from the other guy. They always do everything they can to kick the other guys butt.
Did Schumacher ever sit to learn from the more experienced drivers, did Senna,Hamilton or Alonso did such a thing? No. Because when you willingly start playing number 2 then that’s what you are gonna be for the rest of your career.
yeah if I wa Nico I’d be pi**ed off!
He didn’t pursue McLaren because of having to fight Lewis on home turf.
Now he has to fight Schumacher!
Poor Nico!
Still better than Hamilton. Hamilton’s ability is a certain fact for him. But Schumacher still has a question mark of possible decay because of age.
When you are screwed ether way you might as well choose the one that has some hope of turning differently that what people expect.
decay becouse of age, listen to yourself, I wonder how old you 22 24. dont be an idiot, just becouse I dont like mikey, or the way he would drive people off track every chance he got dosen’t mean much, this year will differ greatly. he will need the best car to win any races, lets not forget ross is the man. these new kids will not be in awe of mikey. they will just wax his but. not becouse he is 41. the game has changed mikey should stay home.
More like, poor bloody Heidfeld. I hope he gets a seat at Sauber after all this .
yeah he should do.
This I can’t wait to see. No doubting he’s very good, but how much of that was down to complete bias in the team towards him? If Barrichelo was on equal footing would he have won so much? He’s certainly one of the best, but not as good as his records suggest. How much has been down to dirty tactics? I wish him well and think he will be in a very good car, but I think he will simply be outclassed by a Hamilton now with much needed experience, Button finally in a hopefully good car, Alonso (again), and an improved Massa. Should be quite a season!
Now the only thing missing is a pardon for Briatori and Simmonds. Then we could have that perfect team:
Commercial Director: Briatori
Technical Director: Brawn
Key Technical Personnel: Stepney, Coughlan and Simmonds
Driver line-up: Schumi and Alonso, with Piquet Jr. as a reserve.
Don’t worry, in case they step out of line, Jean Todt would be there to keep an eye on them.
LOL!!!!!
You might friend just created the most epic team ever!!
All this guys will be so perfect together. And let’s not forget Bernie is always there. I also suggest they put Mosley as a team advisor now that his no longer in the FIA.
just add Dave Ryan, the ex mclaren sporting director (of Australia 2009 fame) to your team.
LMAO. Schumi car would be purple and even get the “Double Zero” number in his car. It would be the Mean Machine 00.
So where does this leave Rosberg and Heidfeld?
First of all, did Rosberg expect to be Schumacher’s team mate when he signed? If so, surely it lays to rest any suggestions that Rosberg didn’t go to McLaren because he didn’t want to be Hamilton’s team mate? If he’s happy to have a team mate with seven world titles surely he’s got nothing to fear from someone with one…
As for Heidfeld, where’s he going to go now? Will he be Kobayashi’s team mate at Sauber?
Heidfeld for Sauber I’d say. They need experience and Nick has worked with them before. Big shame because he has beaten Robert twice and this could have been his chance at a win.
As for Nico, I think he would have been happy just to progress from Williams at a team with a chance to win and score some serious points. If anyone would be uncomfortable it would be Lewis or Schuey seeing a ‘new’ challenger because they are used to getting the wins. Although I think they would beat Nico and be fine with his as teammate. I don’t think he did know about Schuey until the rumours kicked off because in an interview a week or so ago he seemed well like the legend was coming back and his chances of winning we getting slimmer. Poor Nico
Unless someone on the inside comes out and says otherwise, I don’t think Rosberg had any idea that Schumacher would be joining him at Brawn/Mercedes when he signed.
From the rumours it seemed that Rosberg was going to Brawn/ Mercedes a bit before the end of the season while it still seemed certain Button would be his teammate.
Rosberg’s main worry now will be whether Schumacher will be the clear No.1 like he was at Ferrari, but hopefully both drivers will have equal status at Mercedes.
Hopefully Heidfeld will manage to get a drive for next season, unless Sauber need a pay driver I would be surprised if he doesn’t end up as Kobayashi’s teammate.
I did say MS was going to Merc before Button even left…
I did also mention Heidfeld should be grateful there are a heap of new cars next year because he wouldnt have a drive if they werent there.
If I am Sauber I’d say there’s the door…cya
I wouldn’t the scruffy hairy diving miss daisy elf any where near my car.
excellent comment Keith.
I’d say hell no! He must be feeling little on edge at the moment.
Heidfeld must be ******. I feel sorry for him because I really think he has something more to show and deserves and opportunity of a good car. But Ion the other hand im not sorry Schumacher has joined Merc…