Schumi denies blocking Hamilton in Spain

Michael Schumacher has denied blocking Lewis Hamilton during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend to help his friend, countryman and championship leader Sebastian Vettel win the Barcelona race.

British media have reported that McLaren’s Hamilton alleged the seven time world champion blocked him after letting Vettel, his regular teammate for the end-of-season Race of Champions event, easily pass while being lapped.

“I won’t speak to him [Schumacher] about it,” said Hamilton. “I don’t want to waste my time or my breath.”

Responded Schumacher, “That certainly must have been a misunderstanding. I try to get out of the way for anybody.

“It’s true that Sebastian and I are friends,” he told the German news agency SID, “but on the track, I’m not for or against anybody.”

A McLaren spokesman confirmed: “There is no conspiracy.”

Source: YallaF1

Schumi vows to see out his Merc contract

Michael Schumacher insists he is not ready to throw in the towel following another difficult start to the season

A lot was expected of the seven-time World Champion when he came out of retirement in 2010 to sign a deal with Mercedes GP. However, he failed to live up to expectations last year and finished a disappointing ninth in the Drivers' Champions - 70 points behind team-mate Nico Rosberg.

Although there has been a marked improvement this year, he is still finding it difficult to match the performances of Rosberg.

There have been suggestions that Schumacher could pack it in before his contract expires in 2012, but he is having none of it.

"I will fulfil my three-year contract with Mercedes after which I will work as a representative of the team's brand," he told Germany's Bunte.

He added: "I am on a mission to take Mercedes GP to the top step of the podium. Fighting for 10th place is not always pleasant. I expect to be in a better position soon."

Although he is confident of improving, Schumacher also admits that being 42-years-old "is not the same as 25".

Source: Planet-F1

Schumi: We're right behind Red Bull

Michael Schumacher believes a podium finish is possible in Australia this weekend as Mercedes GP are "just behind" Red Bull in the pecking order

Although many have said that lap times set during pre-season testing are not a true indication of form, Mercedes GP put in a very strong showing in the final outing at Barcelona.

Schumacher set the fastest time seen at the Spanish circuit in the dry, prompting some speculation that the team has made a massive step forward.

And the seven-time World Champion believes that step may have put them right behind Red Bull Racing.

"I am looking forward to it (the Australian GP) after winter testing," the German told Autosport.

"Mercedes has done a huge step forward with this year's car, it is a very performance-orientated car and it has paid out

"This weekend it is up to us to prove it, and we have a good opportunity to prove good things.

"Nevertheless we should not overestimate things, and see the truth - and that is that Red Bull Racing is most likely the team to be beaten.

"I think we are going to play an important role just behind that.

"And whoever is behind that group, I see Ferrari, Renault look good, Williams look good, McLaren is not to be forgotten because I expect them to be stronger than they were in testing, and us - this is the pack that I see a good opportunity that we might be able to fight for that position to be the second fastest."

Asked whether a podium finish would be possible, he said: "That is the nature of being behind Red Bull that you might be jumping on the podium."

Source: Planet-F1

Schumi: P1 W02 will be our Aus car

Michael Schumacher had no complaints with his upgraded W02, setting the fastest lap time in Friday's Barcelona test

The seven-time World Champion clocked a 1:21.249 at the Spanish circuit, which was the fastest time seen at the track this year.

It was an encouraging performance from Schumacher, who confirmed that the W02 in action at Barcelona on Friday will be the W02 that his team takes to the season-opening Australian GP.

"We have been developing the car step-by-step this week with new parts arriving each day," the German revealed.

"So our focus today has been on understanding how to get the best from the car now that it is pretty much in its final configuration for the first time.

"The car has behaved as we expected and it's been a very productive day.

"We completed our programme and I should also be able to get some experience of the expected wet conditions tomorrow."

With the rain expected on Saturday, Schumacher's team-mate Nico Rosberg put in a few hours in the dry on Friday.

And the younger German was not that far off his team-mate's pace, finishing 0.539s down, taking third place behind Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

"First of all, it's super that I was able to do some laps today, given the forecast for tomorrow," said Rosberg.

"It was a good few laps, and obviously now that we have most of the developments for the car, it was handling much better and I had a good feeling.

"So I'm pretty pleased with the situation and would like to thank the whole team for getting everything onto the car that we wanted. We've made good progress over the winter."

Source: Planet-F1

Schumi: Race wins, not the World title

Michael Schumacher concedes that while his Mercedes GP W02 may win a race in 2011, the car is not up to challenging for the World title

The first half of pre-season testing has produced varying form from Merc GP's W02, which is proving to be rather inconsistent.

While the car has shown moments of pace, resulting in Schumi finishing the Jerez test with the week's second fastest lap time, on most days the team has finished outside the top half of the timesheets.

Reliability has also proven to be a bit of a worry, although the bulk of the gremlins have befallen Rosberg.

And with half of pre-season testing already completed, Schumacher fears his W02 is not a Championship-winning car.

"The target is still the same as we said weeks ago: to hopefully be, with this car, on the podium and maybe, if things go very well, to win a race this year," said the 42-year-old

"That's probably the maximum we can talk about, but it is very difficult to judge our performance at the moment against the others because obviously we will improve the car a little bit further to the Bahrain race.

"But, how much compared to the others, that's the question mark."

Source: Planet-F1

2011 title win for Mercedes ’difficult’ - Schumacher

Michael Schumacher has admitted it will be "difficult" for Mercedes to triumph in 2011.

The seven time world champion returned from retirement last year and had a troubled comeback season with the German marque.

Mercedes GP is looking more confidently into its second season since the Brawn takeover, but so far the pace and reliability of the new W02 has appeared less than perfect.

"We are Mercedes and our goal is clear," Schumacher is quoted in German by sport1.de. "It will be difficult to achieve our goal this year but we have a vision that is not only short term."

Schumacher ended a day of the recent Jerez test with the fastest time, but it has been rumoured that it was achieved with low fuel on the super-soft tyre.

"Only the first race in Bahrain will show us exactly what our situation is," said the 42-year-old.

Schumacher’s teammate Nico Rosberg has occasionally sounded pessimistic since the debut of the 2011 car, but he told F1’s official website that he is not panicking.

"Yes, we weren’t too fast in Valencia but with Michael’s two days of running in Jerez we are obviously heading in the right direction," he said.

Rosberg said last week that the W02’s current specification is akin to an "interim car", with a big step scheduled for closer to the Bahrain opener.

Source: Motorsport.com

Schumi Admits: Merc 'Slightly Concerned'

Despite topping the timesheets at Jerez on Friday, Michael Schumacher admits Mercedes GP are "slightly concerned" about their lack of pace

Schumacher was in action at the Spanish circuit on Friday and Saturday, finishing first and third. However, on both days his best times were one-offs as the German struggled to find a consistent pace with his new W02.

In fact, on Friday when he finished at the front of the pack, Schumacher's average lap time put him outside the top half of the field.

"Yes, we are slightly concerned but then on the other hand we know where we will and want to go to," the 42-year-old told the BBC.

"The first race will tell us truly what is the situation."

Mercedes have already made it clear that their target is to win the F1 World titles, however, Schumacher reckons that's going to be a difficult task this season, especially at the start.

"For the team it is very important to climb the ladder and have more success than last year.

"We are Mercedes and we have a very clear target. It is going to be difficult to meet this target straight away this year particularly after last year's experience.

"But it is a programme and a vision for more than just the short term."

One aspect that will have an impact on Mercedes GP's season are the new Pirelli tyres, which Schumacher says Merc still need to get a handle on.

"We have a character of car that we built up," he said, "but we have a new character of tyres and how much they will be in harmony is difficult to say at this moment in time.

"It seemed less important last year and is more important this year."

Source: Planet-F1

Jerez: Schumi tops the charts

Michael Schumacher set the pace at Jerez on Friday where once again the times set during the morning session proved to be the best

The seven-time World Champion clocked a 1:20.352 on a run that was more than ten laps. However, as the day progressed, he struggled to match his best and in fact found himself outside the top half in terms of pace over longer distances.

Thursday's pace-setter Felipe Massa dropped to second place, 0.061s behind his former Ferrari team-mate. Massa had a busy day, finishing with the most laps completed and an average of 1:27s per lap during his long-distance runs.

Jenson Button, who had his first taste of McLaren's MP4-26, was third quickest, although the Brit spent a large part of the morning - which was when the faster times were set - in the pits as McLaren conducted system checks.

Jaime Alguersuari, who was fourth quickest on Friday, just 0.862s off the pace, was the first to run into trouble on Day Two as the Toro Rosso driver spun off the track, bringing out the red flags.

His car was taken back to the pits, however, it wasn't long before he was back in the action, working on a programme that featured three key elements; tyre evaluation, weight distribution and car set-up work.

The Spaniard said: "In performance terms, it is still a bit too early to start drawing conclusions, especially as the lap times here vary a lot from the morning to the afternoon, but I am reasonably confident that this side of the car's progress is on the right track."

Mark Webber was fifth for Red Bull Racing, finishing ahead of Adrian Sutil and Sergio Perez. However, the latter's day was curtailed when he crashed between Turns Seven and Eight during the afternoon session.

Timo Glock was next in line, three-tenths up on Renault's Vitaly Petrov, who was another to bring out the red flags when he spun off track in the morning.

The day's final flag belonged to Pastor Maldonado as the Williams driver became the second rookie to crash. He lost control at Turn Four, damaging the front and rear of his FW32 as he hit the wall.

Jarno Trulli completed the timesheets after failing to make an appearance in the afternoon due to an unspecified mechanical problem.

Times
01. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1:20.352 112 laps
02. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:20.413 + 0.061 116 laps
03. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:21.009 + 0.657 69 laps
04. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:21.214 + 0.862 72 laps
05. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:21.613 + 1.261 113 laps
06. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:21.780 + 1.428 73 laps
07. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1:21.857 + 1.505 56 laps
08. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:22.208 + 1.856 57 laps
09. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1:22.493 + 2.141 65 laps
10. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 1:22.591 + 2.239 38 laps
11. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault 1:23.216 + 2.864 40 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Schumacher: I can win another title

Michael Schumacher is confident that he can still add to his seven World titles despite suggestions that he is too old to reach the summit of F1

Having returned to the sport after a three-year absence, the German failed to reach the standards he had set in the past and generally performed below most expectations.

Despite this, the World Champion has lost none of the self-belief that helped him to seven World titles during the 1990's and 2000's, declaring that he is certain he can challenge for the top honours in 2011.

"Absolutely [I can win another title]," the German told F1 Racing.

"Look, we have a three-year project. Very clearly right now, we are not where we want to be. We've put a lot of effort into coming back and are optimistic we have a chance.

"But in the history of Formula 1, when does it ever happen that you come back straightaway from this level to win in just one year? Very rarely.

"So I'm sure we can fight for wins this year and we might be able to fight for the championship. I hope so. I'm here on a mission and I want to succeed. I want to perform and I'm going to put 100 per cent into it. And if that's not the case in 2011, then we will have to do it in the final year," he added.

Source: Planet-F1

Schumacher defends his decision to return to F1

It's been a difficult year for the seven time F1 champion, Michael Schumacher

After three years in retirement, Schumacher returned to F1 with the new Mercedes team, but has struggled to make an impact on the race track, finishing this year's season in a disappointing ninth place.

It has led many to wonder why the racing legend has returned to sport. But amid the gossip and allegations, the 41-year-old has defended his decision.

He told CNN: "I enjoy it. I feel I have the right to do what I enjoy. Whether I put in dispute my reputation...I just feel good about my decision and I have so much support from people."

"I certainly want to make it a successful return," he continued. "I'm only happy if I'm back on the winning road with the team. This is what I'm working for, this is the joy of the passion for Formula 1."

His decision has been supported by some of the biggest names in F1.

Finnish F1 driver for Team Lotus Heikki Kovalainen told CNN the criticisms towards Schumacher were unfair.

"People had high expectations, people expected him to win. But (Mercedes) didn't have a car to win and second of all, things have changed since he left Formula 1."

Fellow F1 champion Alain Prost said no-one should judge or criticize a driver of his caliber, saying, "For me, it is difficult, almost impossible to go back to the title after three years...But if there's one driver who'd be able to do it, I think it's Michael."
Team principal and co-owner of Mercedes, Ross Brawn, admits the team has had a disappointing year and credits some of that to Schumacher.

"It's been disappointing, in overall performance, we haven't had the car, Michael's taken a little time to get up to the performance he'll be able to deliver. I've seen patches of that performance...the last few races of the season was the Michael Schumacher I expected to see.

But on a more positive note, Brawn added: "Now it's all coming together and I think next year we're going to have a really exciting time."

Schumacher admits it's been a sluggish return to the track, but remains positive, saying: "It's certainly not as successful as I thought initially and many other people have thought."

"But then having such a strong group and team behind, Mercedes pushing it so hard, I have no doubt about success in the future."

Source: CNN

The Secret Life of Michael Schumacher

Nineteen years ago Michael Schumacher made his Formula One debut. Nineteen years of interviews - and seven world titles - later, there’s very little we don’t know about Schumacher. But after he agreed to partake in our Secret Life series, we managed to wrangle a few surprises out of the German legend. Samuel Beckett, skydiving and Italian culinary exploits are just some of his unexpected answers…

Q: Are you a ‘Plan-B’ kind of guy?
Michael Schumacher: No.

Q: Driving a Formula One car aside, what is your favourite buzz?
MS: At the moment it is skydiving.

Q: Who do you most look forward to seeing when you arrive in the paddock on a Thursday?
MS: The engineers.

Q: Who is your dream date?
MS: She is also my dream come true - Corinna.

Q: Which film has made you cry?
MS: Lately it was Slumdog Millionaire. Well, at least a little.

Q: What are you afraid of - and why?
MS: It was heights, but not anymore.

Q: What was the last book you read?
MS: Something from Samuel Beckett. I am very bad at remembering the titles of books and movies and stuff like that.

Q: What is your favourite way to relax?
MS: A glass of red wine and a cigar.

Q: Five things that you hate?
MS: I don’t really hate anything.

Q: Have you ever - or would you ever - dye your hair?
MS: Sure. Why not?

Q: What was the first CD that you bought?
MS: It was an LP - I think some hard rock, metal stuff.

Q: Do you have any tattoos or piercings?
MS: Only temporary ones.

Q: What did teachers say about you in your school report?
MS: Not nice things.

Q: Who were your childhood heroes?
MS: Hard to tell. I did not really have any.

Q: Do you have any guilty pleasures?
MS: Cigars? Poker? I don’t think I should feel guilty about it.

Q: Do you collect anything?
MS: Watches maybe. But not madly.

Q: What do you miss most about home when you are on the road?
MS: My family.

Q: What was your worst-ever buy?
MS: That changes with every fashion change.

Q: How do you take your coffee?
MS: With hot milk.

Q: Your ideal non-race Sunday morning?
MS: A long breakfast with my family.

Q: What was the first car or machine you drove?
MS: A Fiat 500 - well, actually I drove a lot of karts before that.

Q: What was the most embarrassing mistake you have made?
MS: Choose one.

Q: What is the best thing that you can cook?
MS: Italian pasta probably.

Q: When was the last time you were really furious?
MS: Really, really furious? In Spa, 1998 [when he crashed into the rear of David Coulthard’s McLaren while leading a very wet Belgian Grand Prix. Coulthard was a lap down and Schumacher blamed the Scot for the incident.]

Source: Formula1.com

Schumacher hints at car discrepancy

Michael Schumacher has hinted that his car has not always been on the same performance level as team-mate Nico Rosberg's Mercedes this season.

The seven-time world champion has endured a torrid season on his return to Formula One racing and has been consistently out-qualified and out-raced by the younger Rosberg.

And although Schumacher managed one of his better outings of the season with a sixth place finish in the Japanese Grand Prix, he indicated that there have been more problems with his car than with Rosberg's.

"The car worked great this time," Schumacher told German television channel RTL. "Unfortunately, I cannot say it has been that way at all the races.

"There have often been problems, especially on my car, in terms of the consistency, that were not always noticed from the outside. You only saw that I was slower. Both cars have not always been the same."

Mercedes' Norbert Haug did not disagree with Schumacher's claims.

"I cannot disagree with Michael. As far as the car is concerned, he is right," Haug told Bild newspaper.

Source: ESPNF1

Schumacher to stay in F1 in management role?

The latest rumour is that while Michael Schumacher is expected to be back in the paddock next year, he might not return to the Mercedes cockpit.

When the seven time world champion was asked if he was going to return to retirement after his disappointing 2010 comeback, he told reporters on Thursday: "You cannot get rid of me, let's put it this way."

The bulk of the media took that to mean he intends to keep racing in 2011.

But the New York Times' correspondent Brad Spurgeon has admitted he was tempted to follow up the question by asking Schumacher if his role next year might not be as a driver, but in a management role such as 'sporting director'.

Germany's Bild newspaper has also heard the rumours about Schumacher staying in F1 in another role once his driving days are over.

Asked if he can imagine a similar post-racing role, Fernando Alonso said in Singapore: "Not at all -- team bosses have to work too hard!"

And the Spaniard, who stopped Schumacher from achieving an eighth title in 2006, insisted he is not among those who are criticising the 41-year-old German.

"I say only this: Michael is a legend, he won five titles with Ferrari and, with Ferrari, I am yet to win one.

"He doesn't need to prove anything to anybody, and he will be faster next year," added Alonso.

Source: Motorsport

[Video] Glock and Schumacher tease Vettel

From 0:38-0:50 - funny!

YouTube @AlessaFainello

Schumacher not about to abandon comeback - spokeswoman

Michael Schumacher's spokeswoman has played down rumours the seven time world champion is reconsidering his decision to return to formula one.

The rumours were triggered at Monza by the German's former team boss Eddie Jordan, who now stalks the paddock as a pundit for British television BBC.

Jordan said on Saturday that he thinks Schumacher, 41, is in danger of vacating the Mercedes seat after spotting multiple team bosses, drivers and managers entering and exiting the German team's motor home at Monza.

"I've a hunch something fundamental has changed. I believe he is disillusioned and thinking of quitting," said the Irishman.

But Schumacher's spokeswoman Sabine Kehm hit back: "Michael has no plans to quit at the end of the year.

"When he entered into the whole comeback scenario, he was fully informed about the situation with the car. That's why he chose it to be a three year contract -- you cannot expect to come back and win straight away in that situation.

"Obviously he would have wished that the developments to the car improved its performance more than they did," admitted Kehm.

"But it is a three year project to build a winning team and he is in the middle of the process."

Jordan also said he has "hear rumours" that Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn might not be staying.

But Mercedes-Benz's motor sport director Norbert Haug denied he is at loggerheads with Brawn.

"We are absolutely together working on next year's car," he said.

Source: F1 Complete

[Belgian GP] Thursday's FIA Press Conference

Drivers: Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso), Pedro de la Rosa (Sauber), Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) and Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull). Q: Gentlemen, first of all, what did you do during the break? Pedro, with the family I guess?
Pedro de la Rosa: Yes, it has been a very good break. I was always with the family. We went to Majorca, on holiday, where we normally go. Great time I must say, very good. I did a lot of cycling and realised how bad I am at that, but it was very good.
Sebastien Buemi: I think everybody is the same. I spent some days in Switzerland with my family and then in Monaco and I was one week in Salzburg for some fitness tests, just to check out where we are in the middle of the season. It has been a good break and it was good to relax a bit.
Lewis Hamilton: For me I went straight from Hungary to the States and spent time out there with some friends and with the girlfriend, so it was good training, good weather, lots of sun and good food.
Michael Schumacher: I have been home with the family. I just took it easy.

Q: Nothing more than that? Lots of riding?
MS: No, other stuff but all from home.

Q: Sebastian?
Sebastian Vettel: I think like the majority of the drivers, a bit of holiday in the beginning and then as soon as I was back I tried to get back into the rhythm. Lots of training. The weather wasn’t always fantastic in the centre of Europe, but the usual stuff I guess. Then I tried to prepare to come back here.

Q: Pedro, the improvements that Sauber have made, can you maintain those?
PdlR: Well, we hope so. We have introduced quite a lot of changes since Valencia, already for Valencia and since and I think that we have raised our game. We are a lot more competitive, not only in high speed tracks like Silverstone but also in low speed tracks, corners, which were our weakest point like Hungary. That was good for us as we realised that all the changes had worked and we were targeting the right places and we were suddenly a lot more.... We have increased or widened our window of competitivity which is very important.

Q: And yet it was suggested that here you might be hurting a little bit on the straights?
PdlR: Yeah, we still have to do a lot to improve. Don’t get me wrong. We have improved our competitivity but we are still lacking in other areas. One of them is top speed. There are two sectors here - sector one and three - where you will rely heavily on top speed. Pretty sure that sector two will be quite good for us though.

Q: Sebastien, one of the things that I believe you did during the break was a certain amount of self-analysis; having a look at how the season had gone so far. Any changes for the rest of the season?
SB: Obviously when you have two races in a row it is a bit difficult to analyse well what we did well and what we did wrong, so I spent one or two days in Faenza just trying to look at it carefully. We know a little bit more where we have got to improve ourselves, especially in qualifying. This is the place where we seem to be lacking pace, especially with new tyres. We will try some new things on Friday and Saturday just to see if we can improve it a bit. If we can just start a little bit closer to the Q3 then it might help a lot in the race.

Q: Is there much more development coming from the factory? There doesn’t seem to have been a huge amount in comparison to some of the other teams.
SB: Yeah, what I can say it is a big difference for us from last year to this year. Especially this year as we have got to do everything on our own, so it takes a bit of time to get things working well. We have got some good things coming for the future with the F-duct and the blown diffuser but it is still not really planned when but it will come. This is important. We just need to try our best with what we have got now and then when the new parts come we have got to get the maximum out of it. It takes a bit of time but I am pretty sure the team is giving everything to get better and this is important.

Q: Lewis, a similarly interesting comment from Martin Whitmarsh. He feels there is a lot of performance in the car which is still to be unlocked. Is that your feeling as well?
LH: I think for me every time I have gone to the track I have done the Friday and the Saturday and my comments are always ‘this is the best the car has ever felt over these years at this track, but it is still not quick enough compared to others.’ But we believe there is still some untapped downforce in the car which we have not been able to use at the moment or at least draw out, so we are working very hard. The team are working flat out as always to try and pull that out. I am trying to do everything I can to encourage and paying very close attention to what is going on and keeping a close eye on everything.

Q: Yet the feeling is that this circuit suits the car perhaps for exactly that reason, that you haven’t got a massive amount of downforce. It is not so important here.
LH: I think it is still important here. There are a lot of high-speed corners here, so you still need quite efficient downforce I think especially with the long straights. But I think we should be a little bit better here than we were in Hungary. Hopefully. I am looking forward to getting into the car tomorrow. I hope the weather does clear up for us as it doesn’t look so great out there at the moment.

Q: Michael, you have the penalty coming up but your feelings about this circuit as this is an important circuit I think in the history of Michael Schumacher?
MS: Yes, indeed. I have often called it my living room and there are lots of fantastic memories from the past and even good ones to look forward to. We have a mixed weather condition predicted for this weekend. We have the 10 places which makes it extra special and exciting to try and move forward. With mixed conditions that could help. We have worked on the car, so altogether we will try to make it as good as possible but I certainly look forward very much as this is one of my most loved tracks and special excitement.

Q: What are your expectations from the rest of the season given that the team has said that they are beginning to concentrate more on 2011?
MS: I guess that we sort of have to see where maybe we can use the strengths that the car has and where maybe it is a little bit more difficult. That is something to find out and maximise our opportunities. Naturally we want to still take as many points as possible to stay as high up in the Constructors’ position as possible. These are the targets and naturally we keep on working within limits to achieve this but then yes, the focus is on next year’s car.

Q: It is a bit of a balance?
MS: Yeah, exactly but in a way that is for everybody. Some decide this strategy slightly earlier than others.

Q: Sebastian, tell us about the technical challenge for Red Bull here as it has been quite interesting driving 24 seconds at full throttle with your engine balanced against the fast corners in the middle sector and then again very quick on the way back. What are your feelings about the technical balance there?
SV: Yeah, as you said a big part of full throttle here, so lots of straight lines where you cannot do much from the driving point of view. Looking back last year we were very strong in sector two. With all the corners in sector one and three we lost out. This year I think we have a better car in all kinds of conditions and also for all types of corners whereas last year I think in low speed we were probably a little bit behind. We have definitely made a step forward, so we should be strong here as well and for straight lines, yeah. Obviously it is not Hungary. There are lots of straight lines, so we will see how we will get on. But I think we will find the right balance. We don’t know the weather but generally we are positive and carefully optimistic I would say.

Q: When it comes to the rest of the season we heard from Michael how Mercedes perhaps are concentrating more on 2011. Other teams perhaps doing the same thing. How do you see the rivalry at the front of the championship for the rest of the year?
SV: If you are in a position to win the championship that is where your focus is on but I can assure you that we are also working for next year. The cars will change again quite a bit, so you have to focus early enough and start early enough to be there right from the beginning. But, as I said, it is obviously a different situation for us maybe in comparison to other teams. We are in a very good position for this year and obviously the target is for everyone to win races and ultimately the World Championship. We are in a very good position to do so, so that’s where our main focus is.

Q: And do you see the other two or three teams really continuing to push you?
SV: Of course. I think Virgin is obviously focusing on next year, teams like that, but the teams that still have a fair chance - Ferrari and McLaren - I think that of course they have to and they will push until the end, same as us. So they are in a very similar position. We are all very tight on points. Again, the points system this year is different, so even though it might look a big gap of ten, twenty, thirty points, it’s literally nothing. Fernando, for instance, had a couple of good races in the last two or three races and from nowhere, when people said he’s no longer in this championship, he’s back. It shows how quickly things can change. You have to keep pushing until the end.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Ian Parkes - The Press Association) Michael, we’ve just been speaking with Rubens Barrichello. He mentioned that you sent him a text message today, apologising for what had occurred during the Hungarian Grand Prix. Do you have any plans to speak to him personally this weekend regarding that?
MS: I have no problem speaking to Rubens, absolutely, but there were two reasons I sent him a text and one of the main reasons was that it’s his 300th grand prix. We have quite a history together, so I thought it was appropriate to congratulate him and clarify the point. He sort of felt that I wanted to push him against the wall and very clearly, this was not my ambition. I wanted to race very tightly but without any wall contact and to clarify this point, if he felt this was the case then I was sorry for that.

Q: (Dorothea Jantschke - Bild) Michael, the last third of the season starts with this race, there are a few drivers who have a chance to win the title. Sebastian is third right now, but do you think he has a good chance to be the one in the end, and if so, why?
MS: Why, I guess, is easy. His car seems to be very competitive and very strong. There have been some slightly unfortunate moments during the year, so now it’s up to him to see how consistently his performances can improve and he can take the points, but certainly he’s in a very good position to fight for the championship but as I said before, it’s tight. You depend on your development and so many things and a bit of luck but at the end of the day it’s down to you. He’s had some bits of bad luck already, so let’s hope for the rest of the season he can count on (good) luck.

Q: (Juha Päätalo - Financial Times Deutschland) Sebastian, if you look at the performance of your car, you actually should have a few more points. Is there anything in the rest of the season to which you personally and your team will take a different approach to avoid throwing away important points?
SV: I think, yes, we should probably have more points. We have a saying - I don’t know if it makes any sense in English - but where I come from we say ‘if the dog wouldn’t have gone for a shit, he would have got the cat’ which is basically would, could, should. It’s all fine, but at the end of the day what matters are the points you have on the scoreboard. I think we’re very close. Obviously Mark is leading the championship, I’m only ten points behind. We’re first in the Constructors. I think, yes, you could argue we should have scored more points but then again, also other teams and other drivers are in a similar position and they should have scored more than they did, so in the end we are who we are and this is where we are at, so basically the championship starts from more or less zero now and we have to focus on every single race, obviously. With 20 races to go, or 15 races, there’s obviously more chance or probably more room for mistakes and with only seven to go you know that every single one is probably more important.

Q: (Sven Haidinger - Sportwoche) A question for all of you: which corner on the Formula One calendar is your favourite corner and why - as we’re in Spa?
PdlR: I don’t have any favourite, actually. They’re all good. I must say that possibly the most difficult corner and challenging and also because of that, the nicest for me, is Pouhon, turn ten here in Spa. This is an absolutely fantastic feeling. It’s just very fast, very quick. You just don’t brake, you just let the car roll in. It should be like this, this year at least, and for me that is a very challenging corner, it’s very, very difficult. Fantastic.
SB: I think what Pedro said is a good one, Pouhon is a good one, but there’s also Eau Rouge, the Radillion is something special. You don’t have this kind of feeling (anywhere else) when you go up the hill so quickly, so this is my favourite one if I had to choose one.
LH: I think it’s very hard to… as Pedro said, I don’t particularly have a favourite. I think it’s very hard to pick and chose. I think if you looked at all the maps, I’m sure that you could pick out a few that you like perhaps more than others but Pouhon is definitely one that springs to mind, similarly to him.
MS: Obviously we always talk about Eau Rouge and indeed, starting here some years ago - a few - it was thrilling but in this generation of cars it’s certainly a lot easier because the cars are so improved, but what is still - and it’s a different track - a great excitement is Spa and it’s not a single corner, but it’s the first sector all together. That is the most loved place for me.
SV: I should say that I love all the bad corners that we have in Formula One because then obviously it gives you a positive or good feeling in all the nice corners. I think it’s difficult to name only one corner. People often speak about circuits like here, Spa or other tracks with fast corners. In general, I think that corners where cars are on the edge, the drivers are on the edge, are probably the places that you enjoy most. We all love speed, so fast corners like we have a lot of these fast floating corners around here are the ones that I think all of us like and I like best as well.

Q: (Frédéric Ferret - L’Equipe) To all of you: as Spa is a special track and something different always happens here, do you have a special memory from this track, good or bad?
PdlR: Yeah, I’m not a specialist of Spa really because I’ve raced here only four times, so I don’t really have extremely good or bad memories. It’s been a very nice track to drive but I remember in 2001 when I qualified P10 and there was an accident and I was on a one-stop strategy then. Everyone was on a two and then the safety car came out and then there was a red flag which basically threw my race. It was strategically a bad move, to do a one-stop strategy with the red flag, but it could have been very, very good. It wasn’t but I always like this track. Let’s hope that this year we have something to remember about it, but I’m not a specialist here.
SV: It is just the second time that I’ve raced F1 here, so obviously I don’t have so many memories but I won some races in small categories, so those were good ones, and last year, obviously, the first time you drive here in Formula One is always a bit special because you get some special feelings that you cannot even come close to with GP2 or whatever, so it has been a good one last year. Now we hope for some points which would make this year a pretty good race.
LH: For me I had some good races here in Formula Renault and especially Formula Three in 2005, I had a good race with Adrian Sutil who was my team-mate, passing through Eau Rouge which was quite good in the wet. But then in Formula One I would say 2008 was still quite a cool memory for me, regardless of the result. I think it was a great race and one that was definitely very interesting.
MS: Well, I like to remember ’95, and probably I’m in a similar position here this weekend. Me being here in Spa, having this situation, having the memory of that year it’s good, look forward.
SV: I broke my finger here in 2006. I had a crash in World Series and then for the first time I was in the medical centre here. They brought me in the ambulance to the hospital. It’s not a nice experience, I don’t want to do it again but it is an experience. I remember I was put into a wheelchair, even though there was nothing wrong with my legs and they gave me this funny dress like an old woman’s dress…
MS: Pictures?
SV: No pictures. Yeah, it’s an experience, something you obviously won’t forget. The driver of the ambulance was probably more crazy than all of us together. And then, I think only two years back in 2008 there was quite a chaotic finish with a bit of drizzle at the end of the race. I think I went from P4 to P8 to P4 within one lap. It was quite special. It’s a very long lap here and a lot of things can happen. You realise on occasions like this, it’s always a nice track where something extra happens.

Q: (Livio Oricchio - O Estado de Sao Paulo) Lewis, do you think the championship will restart here as we saw in the last few races - Hockenheim, Hungaroring - where Red Bull, Ferrari was on one level and then McLaren a good gap behind, considering the factories were closed?
LH: I don’t think anything’s going to change, not immediately. Obviously we’ve had the shutdown, so I expect our car to be very much the same as it was in the last race. Obviously this is a good point in time where we have to try and do some more tests whilst we’re here on Friday and Saturday, try to get even more information back to try and understand where the extra time is and where the extra downforce is. Only once we’ve done that can we really move forwards. I don’t think it’s restarting again, it’s just continuing. These guys are going to be incredibly quick, especially the Red Bulls and we have to do everything we can to not allow them to pull too far ahead.

Q: (Walter Koster - Saarbrücker Zeitung) Sebastian, what’s your gift for your team-mate tomorrow? The old man has a birthday, 34 years old.
SV: I didn’t know that this was his birthday. I have brought nothing with me. I don’t know. I need to find something. I think they have these free shampoos and this kind of stuff in the hotel, a last minute present. But don’t tell him, of course.

Source: Formula1.com

In conversation - Ecclestone & Schumacher

Their names are synonymous with Formula One racing. One abandoned his driving career after two Grands Prix, became a successful team boss and then transformed the sport into a global phenomenon. The other rewrote its record books from behind the wheel, accumulating a set of career statistics that may never be surpassed. They are, of course, Formula One Group CEO Bernie Ecclestone and Mercedes GP’s seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher. Their friendship goes back almost 20 years. No surprise then that they always have plenty to talk about…

Q: Bernie and Michael, can you both remember when you first met - and what you thought about the other?
Bernie Ecclestone: If memory serves me well, that must have been some two decades ago in Monza…
Michael Schumacher: … that’s right.
BE: I helped a bit to move him from Jordan to Benetton.

Q: Why? Was it already so obvious to you at that time that he had that ‘je ne sais quoi’?
BE: Yes, of course. That was the reason I wanted him in a competitive team. And indeed he not only developed into a magnificent driver, but also into a sort of team manager. In soccer you would call it a player-coach… (laughs)

Q: Before Michael legions of German drivers had tried their luck in Formula One, with varying degrees of success. Why were you so sure that Michael would make it big?
BE: You could see that immediately if you had a good eye for talent. I think it was already visible at his first race in Spa.
MS: I also believe that talent shows right away…
BE: …anyway, I was sure that there is a winner in the making, even before his first podium in Spa in 1992. That he would win the title seven times is of course something that nobody sane would have ever predicted.

Q: When was it clear for you Michael that you would succeed in Formula One?
MS: To be honest that was in Monza after my second race - my first race for Benetton - when there was that gut feeling that bigger things could be in the wings. Before that I was lacking self-confidence to think beyond the mere fact of just being there. Of course there was no vision of winning a championship, but I had the impression that I could race on a level with the best and fight with them.

Q: So you must have been grateful that Bernie helped you move from Jordan to Benetton?
MS: Of course. He was always there if I needed advice and always offered his support. For sure Bernie was an important factor when I changed team from Jordan to Benetton. It was an important change, probably not in the first year, but definitely as a natural next step to being with the right team. Only then was I able to help increase the interest in Formula One in Germany. So I benefitted from it, as well as Formula One.
BE: Absolutely. He and Lewis Hamilton are still the most prominent drivers in Formula One. Even today.

Q: What did Formula One give you Michael?
MS: Twenty years full of passion and positive excitement.

Q: What have the two of you learned from each other?
BE: Michael is a proper guy. That is important for me. If you talk to him you know where you stand. And once again, how fast he upgraded himself from pure driver to ‘team manager’ at Benetton…
MS: …that’s not totally correct. That was rather more the case at Ferrari. (smiles)

Q: And now at Mercedes?
MS: Well, I have worked together with (team principal) Ross (Brawn) and others in the team for so many years that it is natural that my job is not limited to driving only. I’m surely no engineer nor aerodynamicist, but I have enough experience to know the direction it should head in to be successful. With all these computer programs and all the data flowing from it, it is still men who make the decisions.

Q: Bernie, at what point did you know that Michael would make a comeback?
BE: I learned it from the newspaper.

Q: You didn’t talk before?
BE: No.
MS: What for?
BE: The most important factor was that Michael had enough self-confidence to do it and a team that believed in him. The people at Mercedes knew what he stands for and what he is able to achieve and they talked to him in a serious way so that he would listen. If they’d tried to sell him nonsense he surely wouldn’t have listened to them.

Q: Were you surprised by the media hype surrounding your comeback?
MS: You bet. Already in summer 2009 when there was the talk of me returning to Ferrari for a short period I was surprised - positively surprised.
BE: It was super. Very similar to Tiger Wood’s comeback - even though Tiger had stopped playing for very different reasons. We had a tremendous media presence thanks to Michael. Thanks again for that.

Q: Hand on heart Michael, would you ever have guessed it is possible for one driver to win seven titles in his career?
MS: No, nobody can be that narcissistic. Even in my wildest dreams I could not imagine winning more than one title, if at all, because as a driver you depend heavily on the competitiveness of your car. We are not tennis players or other lone sportsmen where it is only your own talent that makes or breaks it. But I love it the way it is - that you are part of a team where you have to put performance together like a jigsaw puzzle to be successful, and where everybody needs to be motivated by the others.
BE: How true. Formula One is a team sport and that shows in the outfit of every individual team member - they are all the same. So they should all pull together for the benefit of the whole. That’s why I am against the so-called ‘team order’ ban that is all over the place right now - because we are speaking about internal team decisions. The only collusion that cannot be tolerated in my opinion is one between two teams for the disadvantage of a third party. What’s your opinion Michael?
MS: Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel in Turkey had the smell of team orders, or Nico Rosberg staying out longer in Hockenheim. But is that really team orders? No, it is not. Only things that can be controlled should be regulated.
BE: Absolutely correct.

Q: Bernie, when you heard that Michael was coming back you called it a gift for Formula One. That comeback has been a bit bumpier than expected and there are lots of critics. Was it really a gift for Formula One?
BE: Yes, because Michael is a hundred percent fit and talented, but he is racing because he wants to win - and at the moment this is not possible, so he has to focus on getting the car right.

Q: What about you Michael? Explain why your comeback was not a mistake…
MS: Because I enjoy what I’m doing and because I believe in being able to reach my goal - to win the title. I have to accept that it will take time. Of course we all in the team believed that we would be more competitive this season. Unfortunately that’s not the case.
BE: If Michael were driving a Red Bull I would put my money on him…

Q: You too, Michael?
MS: Let’s put it this way, I would have different options in a Red Bull.

Q: What makes you so optimistic that next year will be better?
MS: Because we know and understand the problems that are haunting us now.
BE: I have to add something else. When people say that Nico Rosberg is faster than Michael I tell them Nico still has to prove himself. Not so Michael. For Nico fourth places are still important - not for Michael. Only winning is what counts for him. Whether he finishes fourth or 14th doesn’t really matter for him…

Q: Is that true, Michael?
MS: He’s probably right.

Q: Both of you like a poker game. How important is it to put on a good poker face?
BE: He doesn’t need it - he’s in the car wearing a helmet! (laughs) But let’s be serious, why should he push to the limit for fourth places?
MS: Wait a minute, I cannot leave that statement unresolved. I always drive at the limit. I do that for myself.

Q: What Bernie obviously means is that you appear much more relaxed than in the past…
MS: Okay, yes. But that doesn’t mean that I’m not giving everything.
BE: I’m only suggesting that the motivation is different if you fight for a win or for eighth or ninth place.

Q: Are you still surprised about the reactions of the media? Do you pinch yourself sometimes, thinking ‘Oh my god, what have I done?’
MS: Once again, for me it is important how I work with the car and with the team. The media are just a side effect. They don’t influence the picture that I envision.

Q: So you believe that you are faster than Nico Rosberg?
MS: I see all the details. True, with how the car behaves at the moment I am not driving at his level. At least not in qualifying. In the race it’s very equal. I know precisely how I can change that fact - and I am working on it.

Q: Jenson Button, your predecessor at Brawn-Mercedes, has said feels a bit guilty as last year he moulded the 2010 car to suit his driving style - and that is completely different to yours. His handling preference is more towards understeer - a characteristic you don’t like. You came to the team too late to change the fundamental characteristics of the car…
MS: …true, every driver has his own driving style and you have to work with the team so that you feel comfortable with the package. I achieved that with Ferrari. But that doesn’t happen overnight. It is no secret that at the moment our car has characteristics that don’t suit me. Now it is up to us to change that. Then the situation will be different.

Q: Bernie, before Michael drivers were not averse to living the high life off track. But then he came and changed it all. He introduced a kind of Teutonic thoroughness that had only one goal - success. Did you view that development with mixed feelings?
BE: I can only say this - today all drivers want to be like Michael Schumacher…
MS: I am sure that, for example, Sebastian Vettel observed my career steps very carefully. He never told me, but I think I’m right. I am proud of that. But I wasn’t only successful because I was the fittest guy on the grid. I also worked hard with the team. My success was the summation of many factors.
BE: And let’s not forget that Michael also introduced new dimensions for driver salaries. Team principals don’t really appreciate him for that! (laughs) And coming back to Sebastian Vettel, he is as smart as Michael when it comes to his working mode and he is gifted with exceptional talent. On top of that he’s a damned nice guy. Wasn’t he called ‘Baby Schuey’ in Germany?
MS: He doesn’t like these comparisons. And he’s right. He has outgrown it.

Q: Last question. Is Fernando Alonso your spiritual successor at Ferrari? Some feel he is the Ferrari team principal in disguise…
MS: I cannot answer that. I have no contact with Alonso.
BE: Fernando has a different character. He will not achieve at Ferrari what Michael did.

Source: Formula1.com

Vettel: Still 'something special' about Schumacher

Red Bull Racing star Sebastian Vettel has added his voice to those defending the performance of record-breaking grand prix legend Michael Schumacher in F1 2010 - arguing that there's still 'something special' about the 41-year-old...

Sebastian Vettel has advised against writing off Michael Schumacher in the F1 2010 World Championship, opining that his feted countryman can still 'play a very big role' in the destiny of the laurels this year, that 'Mercedes will come back' and that contrary to what his detractors would have you believe, 'Schumi' is in actual fact 'doing a very good job'.

There has been much criticism this season of the eagerly-hyped yet markèdly underwhelming comeback of the most successful driver the sport has ever known, with the Michael Schumacher of 2010 seemingly a very different creature to the driver who claimed no fewer than seven world championship crowns, 91 grand prix victories, 154 podium finishes and 1,369 points and practically obliterated each and every one of his team-mates in the top flight during his 'first career' at the highest level between 1991 and 2006.

The model that has returned three years on from 'retirement', it is argued, is by stark comparison listless and an easy touch in battle, no longer as quick as he once was and indeed fast becoming a laughing stock, having tallied just 36 points from the opening ten races of the campaign to Mercedes Grand Prix team-mate Nico Rosberg's 90, and not a single rostrum finish to three for his younger compatriot.

There are even whispers – stringently denied by the 41-year-old – that he may choose to save himself any further embarrassment and damage to his illustrious reputation by hanging up his helmet again come season's end, but Vettel suggests to dismiss him that easily would be a grave mistake.

“Obviously he has been criticised a lot lately in Germany, England, everywhere I think,” mused the driver once nicknamed 'Baby Schumi' in an interview with German magazine Der Spiegel, when asked if he deems his elder compatriot's return to the grand prix grid to have been a failure. “I think he is doing a very good job – it is far from easy to return after a three-year break, even though he was never entirely away from F1 – but if anybody can manage it, he can.

“The cars have changed, the tyres as well – many things are not the way that he had become accustomed to – [but] when I look at his face and read his body language, I do not see any confusion or panic. Obviously the car he's in at the moment is probably not the most competitive one, and it's always hard from the outside to make a fair judgement about what is going on, if the car is to his liking or not – but I still think he can play a very big role in this year's championship. I think Mercedes will come back, they will have strong races this year and I think they can be able to win races.”

Having already gone wheel-to-wheel with Schumacher in the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai back in April, Vettel is well-placed to comment upon the Kerpen native's racecraft and appetite for the fight – and the Red Bull Racing star is insistent that in every possible way, he remains one of F1's biggest draws.

“You can feel that it's not just anybody racing you,” the 23-year-old reasoned. “I remember the race in China; there was a lot of passing and so on, but you realise he knows how to defend well and he knows how to kill your run, let's say, and to defend his position better than most. In some other actions you see, like in free practice, it shows you there's something special going on.

“Obviously the results are not the best, but I think that will change. If someone wins seven titles, you'd think he had to be something special. I don't think you can take his place – he is still the best-known racing driver in Germany and due to him, F1 is a very big sport in Germany. I don't think people will forget that quickly; surely with good results, drivers like Nico, myself and others can get better-known, but Michael is still a long way ahead in those terms.”

Source: Crash

Fry: title not lost for Schumacher

Mercedes GP CEO Nick Fry insists that Michael Schumacher is still able to challenge for the 2010 title, despite being 75 points and the exact equivalent of three race wins off the Drivers' Championship lead following the first eight rounds of the season.

Halfway through next weekend's European Grand Prix, F1 will hit the half distance point for the 2010 campaign, with Schumacher having made his return in Bahrain three months ago.

However, despite being hit by a run of helpless misfortunes early in the season, critics have slammed 7-time Champion's latest Montreal performance.

Notably, ex team-mate turned BBC television pundit Martin Brundle labelled the Canadian Grand Prix as the German's 'worst ever' - an agreed feeling with on-screen colleague Eddie Jordan, whose team presented Schumacher with a first F1 drive in 1991. Despite the heavy criticism, though, Fry defends his driver.

"I'm surprised people have reached those conclusions," he told The Guardian on Wednesday. "He was in a good position until the puncture but, when something like that happens, you get out of sequence.

"We also put him on the Option (softer compound) tyre slightly earlier than we maybe should have done, otherwise he would have been able to defend better than he did, but certainly from inside the team we see things in a totally different perspective.

"We don't really see any significant difference in performance between Nico (Rosberg) and Michael - one is getting the breaks and the other isn't at the moment.

"In sport, what goes around comes around. For those who have a run of luck, that frequently comes to an end and the opposite happens. So we're very comfortable with Michael's performance and I can't see any reason why he won't come good. He continues to improve and he is going make a good job of it."

Asked if title chances are shelved for this year, Fry's response was clear: "Absolutely not. It's all part of the learning process. I think he, and we as a team, will continue to work hard this year and do the best we can. We still want to be in the top three. Red Bull and McLaren are fairly dominant but Ferrari have had a mixed season."

Source: GP Update

Schu staying put as Mercedes looks towards 2011

Michael Schumacher looks set to stay at Mercedes in 2011.

The famous German, who initially retired in 2006, is believed to have signed a three-year contract prior to returning to formula one this season.

But after a difficult re-acclimatisation, it had been widely speculated that the 41-year-old might prefer to step back out of the race cockpit at the end of 2010.

Boss Ross Brawn said in Turkey that he hopes both Schumacher and Nico Rosberg stay at the team in 2011.

Schumacher's younger brother Ralf also thinks the seven time world champion is staying put.

"I think he's pretty happy with what he's doing and, as far as I know, it's a three-year plan, so I'm sure we'll see him around for a while," he told 422race.com.

And Schumacher himself is quoted as saying on Thursday: "For me this is not a one-year project."

That commitment might lead to Mercedes eventually calling off development of the silver MGP-01 in order to concentrate early on its 2011 successor.

"By mid-season, we must look to put the F-duct in and catch up to the top," Brawn added. "If it is worthwhile to keep attacking then we will do it, if not we will concentrate everything on 2011."
The Briton told Italy's Autosprint magazine that he still thinks the pacesetting Red Bull cars are still within reach.

"Some aspects of their car is different from all the others," he explained. "Other teams will introduce these elements in the next races.

"I know that everyone is looking with great interest at their exhaust system," said Brawn.

Source: F1 Complete