F1 World Championship 2009 Thread

[san.W10]

awesome news, just awesome :D

:woot:

[Martyn]

Absolutely brilliant news :)

[CrashG]

It'll be interesting to see him return and what he can do with the car.

[Subject Delta]

Indeed, will be interested to see if he can break a win in the new Ferrari, and even whether he will be as fast as he used to be. Seeing him go wheel to wheel with Hamilton is a pretty exciting prospect too, although if Ferrari don't get their act together and develop their car a bit more, I can't imagine him coming back in the blaze of glory some people are hoping for

[Nicholas-c Veteran]

him winning wont happen. Good return, Give some people a run for their money but he has been out too long, no in-season testing means that he wont drive a car until FP1 and the cars have changed alot since 2006.

The raw talent will still be there but confidence and knowledge of the car will not

[digitalsoft]

no in-season testing means that he wont drive a car until FP1 and the cars have changed alot since 2006...

Surely they'll have ways of getting around this?! I can imagine it would be a pretty big risk sending him out for the first time in FP1. Maybe Schumacher happens to want to give one of their cars a few laps around their test circuit for a bit of fun? ;)

[ViZioN]

Can't wait to see Schumacher racing again in Valencia. Although I hope Massa makes a full recovery, I somehow feel that's the end for him and F1. I hope I'm wrong :(

[Mike]

Surely they'll have ways of getting around this?! I can imagine it would be a pretty big risk sending him out for the first time in FP1. Maybe Schumacher happens to want to give one of their cars a few laps around their test circuit for a bit of fun? ;)

The in-season testing ban only refers to track testing at FIA approved tracks. Straight line tests are fine and i'm sure there's nothing against him turning at the end of the straight :p

I don't see it as a big problem, Alguersuari did fine for the first time in *a* F1 car, Schumacher is more experienced and will have dealt with the power, steering etc before. The only difference would be grip levels which I'm pretty sure he'll be able to find out within a few laps. He's got enough talent to know when the car is about to let go and I have no doubts he'll be quick.

[Subject Delta]

Surely they'll have ways of getting around this?! I can imagine it would be a pretty big risk sending him out for the first time in FP1. Maybe Schumacher happens to want to give one of their cars a few laps around their test circuit for a bit of fun? ;)

That would count as in season testing, which is banned. I am sure he will get to grips pretty quickly, the cars aren't too different in technical terms from those he drove in 2006, and although obviously the aerodynamics, grip, and weight distributions are different, a guy with Michael's natural racing instinct will get up to speed pretty quickly. It will also be interesting to see how Michael with his immense tactical brain deploys the KERS system

[Pc_Madness]

Good lord, apparently I need to buy a hat so I can eat it. :\ Surely it makes more sense to use Ferrari's test driver. :\

Is there anything to stop Ferrari from giving Schumacher the car from last year to race around the track? *ponders*

[Crazysah]

If he passes the medical then I assume he will be there for the rest of the season right?

[SojIrOu]

Yeah Stigmacher. :D Maybe Ferrari will bring in a new aero package or some upgrades for the "Stig" to win some races. :shifty:

[Antaris Veteran]

Lol, there is no proof that he is the Stig :p

It's gonna make for an interesting second half of the season!

[SojIrOu]

But they showed it on the telly! How can Top Gear lie to us. Lol. They probably needed him to drive his(?) FXX for the episode.

I can't wait for the return of the super ultra fantastic mega 7 time champion. I haven't watched F1 since he left except when they had the first Singapore race (which was boring).

[san.W10]

Hamilton 'excited' to race Schumacher

World champion Lewis Hamilton says he is excited about being able to race against Michael Schumacher when the German returns to the cockpit for the European Grand Prix.

The seven-time champion will replace Felipe Massa in the Valencia race next month as the Brazilian continues to recover following his accident at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

It will be the first time Schumacher has raced in Formula 1 since he retired in 2006, and the first time he has experinced 2009 machinery. He is also yet to drive at the Valencia street circuit.

Although Hamilton said he is still thinking of Massa, the McLaren driver admitted he can't wait to share the track with Schumacher.

"I am excited by the possibility of Michael Schumacher's return to Formula 1 assuming it happens, but my thoughts are still with Felipe and his family following his terrible accident in Hungary," said Hamilton.

"Michael is one of the sport's greatest competitors and a legend in his own right and it would be great to compete against him.

"The whole world will be watching his return to the cockpit in Valencia and it will not only be fascinating to see how he readies himself for his grand prix comeback but also an honour and a privilege to race against him for the very first time. I wish him well."

Championship leader Jenson Button also welcomed Schumacher's return, and the Briton reckons the former champion is likely to be competitive.

"It's a tough position for him to be in but I'm happy he's taken up the challenge and it's very brave of him," Button told the BBC.

"He's still young - 40 is not old and he'll still be competitive."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/77435

[Subject Delta]

Is there anything to stop Ferrari from giving Schumacher the car from last year to race around the track? *ponders*

Yes, the fact that last year's car doesn't conform to the 2009 technical regulations.

[CrashG]

Yes, the fact that last year's car doesn't conform to the 2009 technical regulations.

I was going to say the same thing :p , but I *think* he means running it on a test track like the one at Fiorano. Although I don't know if driving last years car would really help because of how different they are.

[closetgeek]

Fair play to Schumacher for taking up this challenge, he's really got his work cut out. Is there truth to what I heard about teams not being able to carry out any testing with their current cars until Valencia? If that's true, I think he'll really struggle.

I think we're more likely to see him trying to hold up the pack whilst the other Ferrari makes a run for it, than him coming back in a unprecedented blaze of Germanic glory.

[sn00pie]

I think Schumacher will be surprisingly fast. Don't for one second think that he hasn't been racing F1 cars since he retired. That Top Gear lap in the FXX showed us that he still has the speed and skill that made him one of the best ever. I can't wait until the next grand prix :)

I won't be surprised to see him on the podium at Valencia...alongside Hamilton of course ;)

[digitalsoft]

I think Schumacher will be surprisingly fast. Don't for one second think that he hasn't been racing F1 cars since he retired. That Top Gear lap in the FXX showed us that he still has the speed and skill that made him one of the best ever. I can't wait until the next grand prix :)

I won't be surprised to see him on the podium at Valencia...alongside Hamilton of course ;)

Theres no doubt schumacher still drives cars etc and has the speed and skill but he's not been in the place of an F1 driver for a while so I can imagine it will show in his perfomance, at least in the first race in my opinion. I'll be extremely surprised if he can gain a podium with todays car and the current perfomance of the ferrari. I very much doubt he'll manage to out perform kimi.

So hyped for the race now though, its going to very interesting!

Note: BBC coverage, someone please sack Eddie Jordan. The guy is such a kiss ass! and knows nothing... "I have my spies, massa just has a bump on the chin" - really?

Edited July 31, 2009 by digitalsoft

[closetgeek]

I think Schumacher will be surprisingly fast. Don't for one second think that he hasn't been racing F1 cars since he retired. That Top Gear lap in the FXX showed us that he still has the speed and skill that made him one of the best ever. I can't wait until the next grand prix :)

I won't be surprised to see him on the podium at Valencia...alongside Hamilton of course ;)

You can't really compare lapping a FXX to doing competitive F1 racing. He may have driven a version of these cars pre season as I thought he helped developed them, but again racing in a competitive environment, with a full grid, is a different kettle of fish. And as has already been stated- he's never raced this track.

I would be really, really surprised if he does well- and if he does then it will settle the "is it the driver, or is it the car?" debate once and for all.

I'm not really an F1 fan any more, but this has reeled me back in. At least, I'll be watching the Valencia race from my couch whilst nursing my latest saturday night hangover :D

[Pc_Madness]

I *think* he means running it on a test track like the one at Fiorano.

This. :)

[san.W10]

Schumacher testing old F1 car at Mugello

Michael Schumacher has began his preparation to return to Formula 1 action at the European Grand Prix next month.

The seven-time world champion will replace Felipe Massa in the Valencia race as the Brazilian continues with his recovery following the accident he suffered at the Hungarian Grand Prix last weekend.

Schumacher travelled to Ferrari's factory in Maranello yesterday, where he worked at the static simulator to check the functionality of the steering wheel.

The German has borrowed an F2007 car and he is reported to be testing at the Mugello circuit today since 11am.

Schumacher admitted that he is trying to get as much mileage as possible before his return, even if it means driving old cars.

"There is this test ban in Formula 1, therefore I contacted some of the guys from F1 Clienti if they could give me a car," Schumacher wrote on his website.

"Although those cars are not current or last year's ones, I simply like to drive as much as possible, so this is a good option. The next weeks will be totally on preparation then."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/77445

[Subject Delta]

I was going to say the same thing :p , but I *think* he means running it on a test track like the one at Fiorano. Although I don't know if driving last years car would really help because of how different they are.

Evidently he has been allowed to drive old cars. Although it will have little relevance to modern F1 cars, I am sure it will help Michael regain his driving ready fitness

[san.W10]

Massa will leave hospital on Monday

Felipe Massa will leave Hungary by a private plane on Monday, his personal doctor, Dino Altmann confirmed.

"Felipe continues to improve, he is doing very well, and we already decided to go back home on Monday to Brazil," Altmann told journalists on Friday at the AEK Hospital in Budapest, where Massa has been treated since his accident during the weekend of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

"He will fly to Sao Paulo."

Altmann said "there was no need" for the Brazilian to be taken to FIA Institute deputy president Gerard Saillant's clinic in Paris, where Michael Schumacher was also treated after he broke his leg in an accident ten years ago.

"He has to continue his recovery and go back racing as soon as possible, that's the plan," Altmann added. "No special treatment.

"He is in very good mood, he is in good shape. He wants to come back soon."

Ferrari decided to replace Massa with seven-time world champion Schumacher, who has already started practicing at a wheel of a two-year old F2007 at Mugello today.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/77451