Q&A with Michael Schumacher

It’s almost 24 hours since Michael Schumacher put pen to paper with Mercedes GP and media outlets the world over have been clamouring for information. One of the first to get an interview with Schumacher was the BBC, that interview has since been uploaded to YouTube and can been seen below, after the jump.

One piece of info which was missing from the Brawn GP statement was the length of Schumacher’s contract. It was understood that Michael had signed a one year deal with Mercedes, however in an interview with Formula1.com, Schumacher confirms he has a three year deal to drive with the Silver Arrows.

Schumacher also revealed plans to stay on with Mercedes after his driving tenure expires, “Regarding the driving, the time frame is three years. There was never any intention to do a one-off. There will be an option after that to be brand ambassador for Mercedes, which would make sense in a way.”

Michael also confirmed that the invitation to race for Brawn took place in November, when the rumour-mill first began to gather momentum. He also revealed that Mercedes’ intention to buy into Brawn GP was known at the time, “At the end of November I got a call from Ross concerning an option to go racing again. Having got that call from him and the information that Mercedes will be involved, that did it.”

The Mercedes GP sponsorship deal with Petronas makes a lot more sense, too, as they clearly would have known Schumacher was coming back.

Formula1.com also has a brief Q&A with Ross Brawn available, so make sure you check that out as well.