Schumacher suffered from the lack of testing
Michael Schumacher believes that the lack of testing has penalized him since his return to Formula 1 in 2010.
Michael Schumacher returned to F1 at the beginning of 2010 with the Mercedes GP team, which later became Mercedes AMG. The return of the seven-time world champion with the team that had just been crowned in 2009 – under the name Brawn GP, both in the constructors’ and drivers’ categories with Jenson Button – placed a lot of expectations on him.
But ultimately, Schumacher and his teammate Nico Rosberg never had a car capable of winning, and they most often had to settle for a car only capable of competing for significant points, and on a few rare occasions, the podium – only Rosberg managed to secure a podium finish, which he did three times in 2010.
No matter the conditions for Schumacher, who stated that he has always been motivated and focused on his driving and has never lost his passion despite what has sometimes been said in the press.
Some have wondered if my mood had changed. It would be nice if people on the outside didn’t make assumptions without knowing. I thought I might be able to (on the podium) several times. Together (with Mercedes), we are working very hard to improve performance, but it doesn’t worry us. In F1, there is no magic wand, Schumacher told the Corriere della Sera.
The German driver thinks that his return has been more complicated than expected, mainly due to the lack of testing, as when he left, teams could do a lot more testing during the season than they can now.
In the past, we did a lot of testing. Not today, so I still have some issues with the tires. I haven’t learned to interpret them correctly yet. Before, I used to arrive at the races knowing what to expect. Now, testing doesn’t happen until Friday and I’m still getting used to this system.
Upon his return in 2010, Michael Schumacher signed a contract for two seasons plus one optional season. His contract with Mercedes will therefore expire at the end of the 2012 season. For now, he does not know if he will continue in 2013, but even though he will be 44 at the beginning of 2013, he is not closing the door on extending his contract.
“Will I be there in 2013? There’s no reason to rush into thinking about it,” added Schumacher.
