Let me take you down memory lane for a moment, October 2006 to be precise. I was on holiday in Italy the weekend Michael Schumacher participated in his 'final' Grand Prix in Interlagos. Tenth on the grid following a fuel pressure problem which effectively ended any lingering hopes of an eighth world title, Schumacher's Ferrari then suffered a puncture in the early stages of the race, relegating him to last place. I sat in the bar with my family with barely three or four other people as the great man began his final comeback. His astonishing recovery and incredible overtakes drew in a crowd at the hotel bar, barely able to comprehend what they were witnessing. His pass on Kimi Raikkonen, who would be replacing him for 2007, sent the locals into raptures. From last to fourth. It was a fitting way to bow out of the sport he dominated for so many years. That race in Brazil was how I thought I would always remember Schumacher; relentlessly driven to be the best, even as the curtain began to close.
However, what we have seen since Schumacher was signed by Mercedes in 2009, three years after retiring, is unrecognisable. The seven-times world champion has looked not only uncompetitive, but wholly out of his depth. Moreover, his less illustrious teammate Nico Rosberg has totally dominated him; the former Williams driver has finished ahead of Schumacher in15 of their 23 races together at Mercedes and has out-qualified his fellow German on 19 occasions. Those are damning statistics, particularly because, despite his obvious talents, Rosberg has still yet to win a Grand Prix.
There were signs last year that Schumacher's star was beginning to fade. His best result last season was fourth, a record totally incomparable to his 91 career victories. In addition, Schumacher finished ninth in the standings in 2010 and was merely a background character in the season's titanic title battle. However, worse has followed. Despite a somewhat spirited performance in China three weeks ago, yesterday's race in Turkey was simply appalling. More alarmingly, Schumacher admitted: "the big joy is not there right now." He sits 11th in the drivers' championship with just six points.
The race in Istanbul was disastrous for a number of reasons. Rosberg yet again proved how much faster he is by qualifying a second quicker than Schumacher. That gap ensured Rosberg would begin the race best of the rest in third, while Michael was a lowly eighth. A collision with Vitaly Petrov on lap two wrecked his afternoon, especially as it was totally avoidable. Petrov's Renault went down the inside into turn 12 and, much like his controversial incident with Jacques Villeneuve in Jerez '97, Schumacher instinctively gave the Russian room before appearing to turn in on him. That crash forced him into the pits for a new front wing.
I understand we all want drivers to fight till the very end but this was sheer stupidity on Schumacher's part. As the BBC F1 commentary acknowledged, Michael has struggled in wheel-to-wheel combat since his return. In my view, he underestimated the opposition when he announced his comeback in 2009 and due to his poor form, his aura has dropped immensely. None of the drivers are afraid of him anymore and, sometimes, the overtakes on him have looked relatively easy (obviously Rubens' daredevil move in Hungary '10 is an exception).
He finished 12th in Istanbul yesterday and he will now begin to ask serious questions of himself. Yes, some might say that quitting now will damage his reputation but, in all honesty, his pride has already taken a considerable hammering. What I see in Schumacher these days, compared to the driver I saw growing up, is a complete contrast. Schumacher used to be unparalleled in F1, now he has slid into midfield obscurity. As a Schumacher fan, it is sad to see him struggle so enormously. Undoubtedly, the fighter in him still remains and even in his second coming, he has retained his ability to never give up and be beaten by adversity. Sadly for Michael, the great seven-times world champion, this appears to be a race he will not win.
Josh.
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