Ferrari have not given up hope of luring Michael Schumacher back to Formula One even though the seven-times champion reiterated yesterday that his comeback is over, Luca Di Montezemolo, the Ferrari president, has launched a campaign for leading Formula One teams to be allowed to run three cars next year, instead of two, which would allow the Scuderia to make a seat available to their favourite German.
Di Montezemolo and Ferrari appear wedded to the idea of a triumphant return to the paddock for Schumacher, and why not, given the dearth of talent around?
As Di Montezemolo put it: “We are talking about Michael Schumacher. He is 40 years old, but he is from another planet. I prefer the champion, even if he is matured, to the mediocre driver, even if he’s young. Our circus needed some great input.”
However, Schumacher is in no position to provide Ferrari with the lift required to make them competitive after spending most of the season in the rear-view mirrors of Brawn GP and Red Bull. His latest statement of intent came yesterday in Geneva.
The small neck fractures he suffered in a motorcycle accident in February have not healed in time for him to replace the injured Felipe Massa at the European Grand Prix in Valencia next week.
But even Schumacher admitted that he had not yet mulled over the idea of a full-time return. “Speculation in this business is pretty natural,” he said. “Lots of people have their own opinions, but the fact of the matter is that I am very disappointed not to do what I was looking to do. It is sad that, in the end, I couldn’t fulfil the target.”
So will he or won’t he? There seems little doubt that Schumacher is itching to come back, Ferrari are desperate for him to return and Formula One simply could not turn away a driver who is pure box office. Only injury is keeping Schumacher away from the grand-prix grid and only his body will determine whether he could race again — this year, next year or ever.
Source:The times
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