Has Schumi Made The Right Decision? - By Paul_Murtagh

On Friday morning it was announced that Michael Schumacher is to make a sensational return to Formula 1 with the new factory Mercedes GP team. He will partner Nico Rosberg, and his return will be welcome by many, but has Schumacher made the right decision in returning to the sport that he left back in 2006?

As with many decisions, there are both pros and cons to the argument.

On the pro side, many will welcome back the 7-time F1 world champion. During his 15 years in the sport between 1991 and 2006, Schumacher won 91 races and broke almost every single record possible. He is regarded by many as being one of the greatest of all time alongside the likes of Juan Manuel Fangio, Jim Clark and Ayrton Senna, and he will welcome the chance to add to his myriad of wins, pole, podiums and points. And perhaps the most mouth-watering prospect of his return is seeing him race the new generation of drivers such as Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button and Sebastien Vettel, as well as new team-mate Nico Rosberg. Add to that the team winning both the drivers and construtors championships under their previous name of Brawn GP, and it isn't hard to see why Schumi has decided to return.

But some will also question Schumi's decision to return. There have already been whispers asking why Schumacher has decided to come back now at the age of 41. He has nothing to prove to anyone, and his previous tests with Ferrari were only carried out as a bit of fun, exlcuding his test in the F2007 in August. Michael's neck is also a question mark, having stopped his return for the injured Felipe Massa during the 2009 season - will it stand the test of a full season with G forces of around 4G? And Schumi should also be wary of the last world champion to make a return to the sport, Nigel Mansell, who re-retired after 2 races in 1995 following a disasterous spell with McLaren, ironically also using a Mercedes engine. This left a sour taste at the end of a long F1 career - could Schumi suffer the same fate if all doesn't work out?

So has Schumi made the right decision? Well that's for you to decide. I have presented both pros and cons, and I'm sure everyone who reads this will think of even more reasons for both. But there is no denying that this announcement has overshadowed any other news this close-season, and everyone waits with anticipation to see just how well Schumi can do in the latest generation of F1 cars

Comments

[GordonB]

I take slight issue with the "competing against talent" comment and then including Button & Alonso in the list! However I agree with the idea that he sees a chance to test himself against some new blood - Hamilton, Vettel definately. Maybe also Nico Rosberg?

[sportsman]

I have no doubt at all that Schumacher has made the right decision.
He has been subjected to extensive medical checks and he would never consider returning unless both he and his doctors were comepletely satisfied that his neck injury was fully healed.
Michael Schumacher's physical fitness is legenday and he recently bought a new neck muscle strenghting exercise machine.He gave his old one to Massa to help his recovery.
You cite Mansell as an example.How about Lauda.He returned after two years and in his second season back won the WDC.

[flood1]

Yes he has. Well, I say that because I want him to race again. I also want him to match pace with Hamilton, Vettel, Rosberg, and the other young guns.

He will not be as good as he once was, but even with diinished skills he will be good enough.