http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/090729/...cher_comeback_1

Now just picture it....

Schumacher actually racing against Lewis The Cock Hamilton and in the same team as Kimi Raikkonen.

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

I think people are going to expect too much from him. He hasn't raced since 2006 and the current Ferrari is not exactly the fastest car on the grid...at the very least it's not as good as the McLaren or the Red Bull, and if the Brawns come back then Ferrari will be lower than them as well. I'd expect Schumacher to pick up points, maybe a third place, unless he has some sort of problem during the race.

Don't ever underestimate Michael Schumacher.

I am trying to have low expectations, but at the same time... I want him to walk all over everyone.

What's Brawn going to do about KERS though? Plus, it's Michael Fucking Schumacher.. =P

I was just discussing Schumacher running rings around Hamilton with my dad last night. This'll be epic.

Yea even though Schuey's been out since 2006, hasn't he been testing/driving the cars as they develop throughout each season since then anyway?

not this year because of the testing ban.

From what I have read, Schumacher's success is due in part to his ability as a driver and in part to his ability to communicate with engineers about giving him the kind of car he needs to win. I think that given his skills, MS can turn a mediocre Ferrari into a race winner.

For that reason I don't think it's too much to expect to see him on top of the podium at least once this season.

On a side note, I know it was a long shot, but I was really hoping that Ferrari would give Alonso the nod...although I guess this means that flava Flav can still get rid of Renault's dead weight, Piquet, without worrying about having two inexperienced drivers in the paddock.

Schumacher is a damn good driver technically and on the track in battles.

But, a lot of the success also came from the fact that he molded Benetton and Ferrari around him. He had more powers, more influence beyond any driver's wildest dreams. He was contractually #1 and all of his team mates were legally #2. He had priority for everything and the majority of the team's resources went to his side of the garage. But he certainly has the talent to exploit those resources to the maximum not to mention he surronded himself with only the best minds in F1.

And, Alonso going to Ferrari for Valencia would have been impossible. It would take a single Renault sponsor to say no. It took enough effort just to get Alonso to test the McLaren at the end of 2006 for a day before his McLaren contract (and his Renault contract expired) in 2007. He had to wear a completely white suit, white helmet, and the McLaren was stripped of every single sponsor name.

No way in hell is a driver going to jump from one major team to another in 4 weeks time. Not in this corporate era.

He has been testing during the allotted windows though. He's also been at Mugello in the F2007 since 11am this morning.

That doesn't count and the allotted windows are for straight line testing.

Any driving of a car that fast around a track is going to get you back in the groove to a certain extent.
I meant the allotted windows during the off-season.

Ok, then you're wrong because he hasn't driven the F60 at all. Not once. The last time he drove a factory Ferrari was the F2007 at Jerez. I don't recall him driving in 2008 at all... maybe he did one or two tests at Fiorano pre-season in '08 but he most certainly hasn't been behind the F60 at all this year.

Apparently his last time behind the wheel of an F1 car was a test/demo of the F2008 in April 2008.

A year or two off will make him forget what a lifetime of driving taught him? It takes like 10 minutes for me to jump back into top form on an FPS after taking 6 months off (excuse the lulzy analogy)....he's been driving his entire life...I'd be surprised if it took him more than a couple of laps to adjust to any advancement in F1 tech over the past couple of years.

/non-F1-follower

Looks like he wont get a run in the new car before Valencia anyway as Williams has opposed the request from Ferrari. I think its a fair ruling as Algesuari didn't get a test either before his first race and rules are rules.

However with the wings and slicks benefit on the F2007 car he drove at Mugello he was quicker than Massa's best time in the F60 at the beginning of the year, so i don't think his pace will be a problem - he's just got to get race fit inside a month.

Why are you always so abrupt with your responses?

With a testing ban, can Ferrari put MS in one of their older cars, put slicks on it and tweak the aerodynamics to give a level of grip which is similar to the F60, or are drivers not allowed to test at all?

I believe they aren't allowed to put any parts they're using for the 2009 season on the car, hence why they used GP2 tires on a 2007 model.

Schumi's gonna dominate regardless of his car or testing duration

/fanboi

That doesn't mean shit. He was quicker in the F2007 because the F2007 is inherently quicker than the F60 and was built to signifacantly different regulations.

To Flaw: It's not so much the tecnical aspect as it is the PHYSICAL aspect of it. This whole time a lot of talk has been on his muscles and how they'll cope. It's not like he's some up and coming rookie who's been constantly training, adhering to a strict exercise regime, and has been racing high downforce cars for the past months on a consistent basis.

He's been laying on yachts, riding on bikes occansionally in races, and smoking a shitload of cigars. It's a question of fitness and not so much as adaptability.

Hell, if Jaime Alguersuari can do it so can Michael who has already proven his adaptability throughout his career. I'm glad the testing chance was blocked because that would have been extremely unfair to Jaime who would need it much much more than the retired "statisically best driver ever in F1".

It's Phix. Enough said.

I don't even know what you meant by that.

You'll get it son. Don't worry.

I meant tune's post, not yours, you dick.

Cause I don't see it as being 'abrupt' at all. I just replied to a post. Something wrong with that?

Interesting you should say that, i had a look a the times posted this year and 2007 and the time discrepency is dependant more on the track type, on circuits where downforce more than grip is a necessity, such as faster circuits like Bahrain or Turkey, the extra downforce of 2007 seems to help more and the time differential is around 1 - 2 tenths. On slower tracks, like Monaco interstingly the times this year were faster than 2007 by about the same margin.

Anyway Schumacher's test had slick tyres, albeit GP2 slicks so it has no real reflection, i was just saying that if he'd been like 2 seconds slower than he would have had some work to do to be race ready - the test just showed he's still quick, just needs to be race fit.

This is purely shooting from the hip, but IMO Schumacher doesn't seem like the kinda guy who gets all flabby just cuz he isn't racing anymore. I would wager that he has kept himself pretty fit. Maybe not full-on F1 driver fit but I will be surprised if he turns out to be non-competitive because of fitness.

There's a chance he might not even race at Valencia cause of his motorcycle injuries and his weak neck:

http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2009/08/test...her-comes-back/

Don't worry, It's not worth going in to.

Whatever you say, Mr. Poorly Informed.