"Hang on, hang on, just a minute!” So let’s just get this straight. The McLaren isn’t the slowest car out there, the pace setting Brawn is suddenly looking kind of average, BMW have given up, and dadadadadaddad tad da…
MICHAEL SCHUMACHER IS BACK!!!
Well actually no , not quite! it would seem, no sooner had I started writing about the exciting news of his return on this page the circumstances had already changed. Unfortunately, the most anticipated comeback probably of all time in Formula One has been called off due to problems with Michael’s neck. I for one am gutted. I was really looking forward to Michael’s battle with Raikkonen, it would have been the first decent team mate Michael had had, (you can’t count a ‘past it’ Piquet, an inconsistent Barrichello and an inexperienced Massa, not to mention others as decent can you?). It would have been very interesting to see how a 40-year-old Schumacher would have compared and if he’d have been able to teach the young guys a thing or two.
We shall now see Luca Badoer take the place of Massa in Valencia as just reward for being test driver to the team since 1998. “LUCA WHO” I hear you cry, well the Italian started his F1 career with Scuderia Lola Ferrari in 1993, and last raced in a Grand Prix at Suzuka in 1999 for Minardi. Badoer holds the unfortunate record for most starts in F1 with no points scored, so it is unlikely that even if he DOES a good job in Spain he will remain in the seat for the remainder of the season. In fact, Badoer came closest to scoring a point at the Nurburgring in 1999 when he was running forth with only a few laps to go, when the car broke down and poor Luca was sobbing by the trackside Hakkinen style!
But who will take the second Ferrari seat after Valencia? How’s this for an idea…Kubica! Think about it, Ferrari could pay BMW for his services, BMW are pulling out at the end of the year anyway and with the car so slow they wouldn’t be missing out on anything, they could give one of the drivers in there young driver program a go and bag some extra cash. Surely win-win for both teams? Just a thought.
So is this the end of the Schumacher story? Perhaps not, who knows if his neck improves with more training it isn’t inconceivable that he could return at the end of the year in the last couple of races and just yesterday Ferrari president Luca Di Montezemolo insisted he would push the FIA to allow teams to run three cars from next year presumably reserving one for Michael. Just watch this space…
