Michael Schumacher spent last weekend wiping the floor against an impressive driver line up at a karting meet in Brazil. After taking out the Florianópolis 2009 event, which included current F1 drivers Felipe Massa, Rubens Barrichello and Tonio Liuzzi, Schumacher also added fuel to his F1 comeback with Mercedes GP fire.
It has been reported across the interwebz now that when pressed about a possible F1 return Schumacher replied, “Who knows? Anything can happen.”
His driving form clearly seems up to scratch and, physically, he claims to be raring to go, “I don’t have any problems with my neck. It’s 100 per cent,” Schumacher said.
Now, if you believe Ross Brawn, this story is a whole lot of hogwash driven by a fanciful meedyah contingent. Well, yeah, of course it is. But that’s because it makes such a cracking story. Anyway, late last week it was reported that Brawn told German newspaper Bild, “The issue now haunts the media, I know, but there is nothing in it.
“Michael would have returned to the cockpit for Ferrari but only temporarily. He has no ambitions to start a new career.”
Contrasting that stance is an article from UK newspaper The Mirror claiming Mercedes have offered Schumi carte blanche with the new team. That is, he can pick any job he so desires. The article states, “The German car giant is so desperate to persuade the nation’s most famous racer to join their new Formula One campaign as a manufacturer they have told him he can have any job in the team even if he does not want to race.”
In the words of that famous philosopher Mr Nike-Marketingmachine, Michael—just do it!