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[smokin]

Schumacher’s much-hyped return has been just that – hype. Once a shark amongst minnows, Michael is now relegated to a hanger-on, one who badly wants to be part of the gang again but no longer has what it takes to get there. And he knows it. His readiness now to admit to mistakes looks like attempts to convince himself otherwise. “Never apologise, never explain” was his unspoken motto.

It’s desperately sad to see the old man trying to recapture his past glory and it’s desperately sad for Formula 1 for anyone to think that he could.

Schumacher is out of his depth.

[billindenver]

I can't really decide if it is him..or his car. On one hand...Webber was not long ago the picture boy of "Never had it, Never will"...but in a car that suits him...front runner. Jenson...not long ago same thing....now WDC. Hamilton...up one year, down the next, up again.

The cars are so complex, the aero so very touchy....it seems to me that pretty much any driver on the grid can be WDC the year after struggling to score a single point....if only his team hits the setup lottery. I am no Schuey fan...but I just can't bring myself to say he has lost it. Maybe he has...but it's too soon for me to say.

[Hammer278]

I can't agree. Never a fan of him, never will be, but his weekend in Hockenheim proved he's still got some serious skill left in him.

Consider him coming back after 4 years, into very different cars and performing much better than a rookie would, and Rosberg is one hell of a driver. I rate Rosberg at least as well as Webber or maybe better. Coming close to him after a 4 year sabbatical is no easy feat. Remember Jacques came back after 1 year sabbatical and drove in a style which reminded me of Alex Yoong.

I say this guy is a threat for 2011. He will have input into the car from the very start and he's going to be easily matching and sometimes beating Rosberg in 2011. I'd put money on that. Particularly seeing Mercedes' behaviour this year, at the start they seemed to be on the same development rate as the 3 leaders, but they practically stopped that just to make it more comfortable for Schumacher in the car.

2011 offseason is all Michael and Brawn, and I would say Michael is a candidate for multiple race winner next season. Championship? Depends on various other factors of course.

[vaptin]

Like EJ said, he qualified 1 hundredth of a second behind Rosberg, at the moment its the car.

[scotty]

There are a few small factors hindering his comeback, for one i think he would have been mega using last year's spec front tyres because of the front end grip they gave. Lack of testing is another factor. Also he, like Massa, seems to have struggled on the hard tyres. Perhaps next year's Pirellis will be much softer and shake things up a bit - i think people don't realise what a impact that change is potentially going to make to the grid.

[smokin]

"Behind Rosberg" is the key phrase. Rosberg is in the same car and is arguably outperforming him on a regular basis. When Shumacher was at his world-beating peak his teammates beat him occasionally but not regularly. The car has supposedly been modified to suit Michael better, which seemed to give him the edge for a short time, but Nico is back in front again, adapting quickly.

Webber was nowhere in terms of the front runners until he got a flier of a car but he was always on a par with the guy driving the same machinery. I'm not using podiums as the measure of whether Schumacher can still do it; I'm comparing him like for like with the driver who has the same advantages and disadvantages. How you perform against your teammate is the true yardstick and, though it pains me to say it, Schumacher has been found wanting.

[bud]

I am no Schuey fan...but I just can't bring myself to say he has lost it. Maybe he has...but it's too soon for me to say.

I'm the same but he has been out paced a lot by Rosberg but I think Schumacher is still getting to grips with the new spec of F1 car. I think another full block of winter testing will do him well and maybe wait until 2011 to see if the Schumacher of old is still in there.

[What's Burning?]

You don't win 7 world championships in anything without having earned (at least most of them). Even through dumb luck you can have a WDC, someone being in the right place at the right time with the right car under them.

This clearly shows the impact that a car can have, I think Rosberg is doing a phenomenal job and is clearly performing better than Schumacher but that wasn't the case in a few of the races this year and clearly not the case in Germany when they both had a lot of pressure to perform. The Mercedes car this year is relegated to best of the rest category and they've already given up on development of it. He may never again get close to a WDC title, but he has shown that he can drive a car that doesn't well suit him to more points than 60% of the drivers on the grid today.

We won't know the whole story until next year. Mercedes hasn't given up on him, and he hasn't given up on himself, but if there's been no marked progress from where he is today I believe next year is the end of the comeback.

[f1ea]

The car is way too important. Specially with the lack of testing.

Is Massa really as bad as he has shown this season?
No.

Is Schumacher as bad as it has been shown on his comeback season?
No.

Can they improve and show their best abilities?
Maybe.

[stonemonkey]

Thinking about what Brawn did with Honda and the poor times Barrichello and Button suffered to end up with the best car on the grid I'll wait until next year before judging Schumacher. I know Rosberg's doing much better but who knows what's really going on inside the team.

[kerc]

Thinking about what Brawn did with Honda and the poor times Barrichello and Button suffered to end up with the best car on the grid I'll wait until next year before judging Schumacher. I know Rosberg's doing much better but who knows what's really going on inside the team.

My thoughts exactly. I always had the idea that Schumi would need at least a year to get back in track (no pun intended).

[Fred_C_Dobbs]

The correct answer to this question is: Nico Rosberg

He consistently qualifies and finishes ahead of his 7x WDC teammate.



Next question?

[What's Burning?]

And has done so under TREMENDOUS media scrutiny and pressure put on him since the beginning of the season!

[Fred_C_Dobbs]

And has done so under TREMENDOUS media scrutiny and pressure put on him since the beginning of the season!

Especially since one of his fellow drivers voted him "the most beautiful woman in F1" in a Bild am Sonntag poll. Along with all the other pressures, now Nico also was to worry about who of his fellow drivers is the butt pirate.

[kerc]

And has done so under TREMENDOUS media scrutiny and pressure put on him since the beginning of the season!

Especially since one of his fellow drivers voted him "the most beautiful woman in F1" in a Bild am Sonntag poll. Along with all the other pressures, now Nico also was to worry about who of his fellow drivers is the butt pirate.

That sounds like the kind of joke a guy like Coulthard would pull on a fellow driver. Who's like that right now? Webber, maybe?