and Mr. SeanValen ?

He just told the press what they wanted to hear from him. It's the typical "It would be great to drive in the same team as Michael"



-boring-

Yeah it's not much, but it's worth menstioning, but his father's quote is more interesting if it's true. And Bernie, along with Eddie Jordan, Schumi's silence has enough meat to fuel THE HOPES OF THE MERCEDES FIRES OF SILVER AND BLACK !!!!!!!!

THE POWER CONTINUES, SPECULATION LIKE NO OTHER IN F1.

if the deal comes through the next season will be even more epic

I disagree there, Schumi wouldn't want to do it for a badoer like performance, he left at the top, and he'll return at the top-bernie's own words, the 2 -3 week deadline after years of retirement back in August for Ferrari was asking 2 much, the fact that Schumacher was willing to try and put it all on the line and to fall short, that's something, but realistically, add the neck issue, and lack of testing, that mountain was mission impossible, it would of been more challenging then winning a world title in Jenson Button's car, FACT!, neck injury as serious or not as serious, we may never know, but the real factor must of been the timing and no testing, when has schumi ever had to deal with FORMULA ONE WITHOUT TESTING?, let alone being retired and getting back into the game with a car you can't practice in for the current rules, even for him, in a sport that is based on getting to grips with cars over a year, it was a high mountain to climb, Schumacher is not there to make up the numbers, never was, never will be.

tHE TESTING BAN IS DANGEROUS AND STUPID, if you have injured drivers, and new drivers thrown into cars they haven't driven come into a season late, drive slow in practice, it's just not right.

This mercedes timing though, he has testing chances coming up, he's had more time to get fit, there's so many reasons for it, and even the most important thing is there, the WILL to drive, where there is a will, there is a way.





Yeah it's not much, but it's worth menstioning, but his father's quote is more interesting if it's true. And Bernie, along with Eddie Jordan, Schumi's silence has enough meat to fuel THE HOPES OF THE MERCEDES FIRES OF SILVER AND BLACK !!!!!!!!

THE POWER CONTINUES, SPECULATION LIKE NO OTHER IN F1.

Don't know that his will is as high as yours....

How many testing days do we get from Jan 1 until the opening round? Isn't that severely restricted as well?

MS can lose a lot of face by defecting to Mercedes. He breaks that Ferrari fairytale for good, unless they forgive him and take him back as ambassador and car developer eventually. If he is so desperate to put another 2-3 seasons on his resume, why not ask Ferrari, they would gladly relegate Massa to a testing role and let him have a go. I bet he would generate more $ for Ferrari than Massa's contract breaking could entail.

Luca Demontemzemlo-ferrari president said it all, when he asked Michael to come back this year, the most important quote, where Luca said, Michael didn't come to me as a retired champion, but as a kid wanting to drive. Michael's decison was based on emotion rather then a well thought out decision, I think even he knew the preparation wasn't ideal and the testing lack of wasn't ideal.

Lets say the neck injury story was false, maybe Schumacher bailed out because Williams refused to let him test, or maybe the neck injury was actually proper and the testing ban just made it too big a risk after years out, the challenge there would of been bigger then any other driver's on the grid, but he was willing to give it a go, I think he got his taste for it again, the lust for it, and remember his quote
"For a brief moment, I felt alive again."

Alonso is the man now and would not have Schumacher as his team-mate. I can see why Mercedes would want him but I agree with the first part where you state he could lose a lot of face. His silence is speaking volumes but we'll have to wait and see if he would take the risk, lets just say he is speaking to Mercedes and considering an offer, he could still get cold feet at the last moment and decide a comeback is not for him. On the other hand maybe he is determined to race again. Who knows?

SeanValen

Yeah, he wanted a go. Just that, a "go". He would like to have experienced racing the new car. Standing in for a few races is a helluva difference to signing for a full campaign. Thing is, he said he felt alive again and wanted to do the stand in this year, but how many times in 07 and 08 did he say he's retired and not coming back?

Schumacher wouldn't ask Ferrari to relegate Massa to a testing role, he wouldn't do it, Massa at Ferrari is one of the reasons Schumi retired along with being tired, and he was ready to fill his seat when he got injured, Michael wishes Ferrari well, and he even menstioned he was behind the decision to have Alonso at ferrari. Ferrari was around before Schumi and will be after, Brawn, Todt, Schumi, they HAVE ALL MOVED ON, yet I think everyone in motosport wishes ferrari to be doing well, that's how I see Schumi's behaviour, he is not involved with the team like before, but he wishes them well. Schumi wants Massa to be racing, you don't seem to understand that, I think Schumacher may have different objecitives with Mercedes, it maybe unfinished business for him.

I just think Michael iwants a new challenge. The 3rd car at Ferrari might have kept him there, but he wouldn't of been pushing the team like he used too,t he's not going to ask ferrari to have 1-2 seasons there and lose a chance of using Alonso and keeping Massa who are long term, Schumi is not long term, which is why Schumi racing at mercedes until they get Vettel makes sense. Schumacher and Ferrari fairytale can never be broken, as much as Nigel Mansell won in the williams, the ferrari fans loved him in their cars, Fangio raced with many manufacturers, Schumacher is another big asset to f1 along with ferrari, both are huge names. history will mark their success, the dream team of Schumi, Brawn, Todt etc,


Michael's contribution to ferrari's history won't be erased because he moved to Mercedes, just like Senna and Mclaren, before he want to williams, certain drivers will always leave their mark on teams, history and the sport, Schumacher is iconic.







Now his tune is never say never, is he saying it for fun, or turning his back on what he previously said a while ago:

"Once your out, your out for good." Schumacher 2006


Feelings and decisions made in the past can come back and be faced again. People change all the time, and he did admit a slight regret in retiring, but I think he definately needed the rest, it was a good time to retire at the time, and now maybe he's thinkings, it's a good time to come back, I think he had doubts about his speed in 2007, when he tested the ferrari again, but I think he found out, he had lost nothing, the only thing he's needed to work on was fitness, and he's doing that now.

I was never a Schumi fan, but I came to resect him more after he finished his career. He does not seem to mind getting beaten, but he still loves winning. Take RoC for instance. Why no Hamilton, Alonso or Kimi? All respect to Button though, he came back although the format does not suit him at all. His motorcycle racing was another thing. Brave. If Schumi would make a return next year, he does not really have much to lose. He is currently a "has been". I do not mean any disrespect, but he is making headlines because of what he used to do rather than for what he is doing and his marketing value is constantly decreasing. I think that if anyone can make a comeback at 40 after two years "retirement" it is Michael. Winning a WDC in a Mercedes would cement him as Germanys #1 hero forever. Must be very tempting both for him and for Mercedes.
If he is not able to get up to speed, it will be discovered well before the first race anyway and he will not have to go through any humiliating experiences in front of hundreds of millions TV viewers..

OK, good points. Maybe you will get your Christmas present then

That is a joke isn't it? Michael would have been ripped to shreads if he'd put in a performance like that. Quite rightly too.

No, he would have been given a free card - retired 3 years ago, car is a handful, etc. Look at Fisichella - he wasn't that much better than Badoer, yet he wasn't shredded, at least his fans were compassionate enough. Some crazy fans were adventurous enough to predict victories for MS in 2009, they would have swallowed a Badoer-like performance, no problem.

Was it ever really a problem ( when he was testing for Ferrari this year) or did he see what a dog of a car it was and decide no thanks no chance?
Had he already had some form of meeting with brawn/haug.
The intresting thing for me will be to see IF he does drive for Brawn next year what the red fans will be saying of him then?

It could also be that he did not work as hard on resolving his neck problem before the plan to replace Massa. (Or maybe they did not even realise it was that bad, because of lower G forces in non-F1 races. Cart races were never a problem.) Once it was clear he could return to racing very soon, he and his physician spend much more time working on the neck fracture and eventually it healed (or at least looks good enough to race F1 in 2010). MS is quite ambitious, but if he recognizes that he isn't up to speed anymore then I do not see a point in keeping the Mercedes speculation alive (or the Ferrari 3rd car discussions), which in turn leads to debates about the neck fracture. I think we cannot easily reject this fracture as a lie without further evidence. The whole discussion about medical tests for MS started right away when he planned a comeback. If the whole thing was just a lie, then it was very well planned at least. ;-)

It could also be a combination of different factors: The fracture could have been painful for him, so he couldn't concentrate on driving for a whole race distance. Or maybe he realised that he needs more time to find his pace again and in addition did not want to take the risk of his fracture getting worse.

He wasn't allowed to test the F60, but used the F2007 instead. The decision not to come back was made shortly after this test.

Willi Weber is quoted as saying he doesn't know what Schumacher's plans are for 2010.
Odd for a manager not to know....

me thinks Schumi is contemplating it...or they are deep into negotiations with Mercedes...

basically Schumi hasnt ruled it out

Surely he would only return if he was confident he would have an 'edge' of some kind. Still, would love to see him back, especially in a team with no team orders.

Michael to Sauber-Ferrari?

I say Jean Todt must have his own idea on this whole topic.

I would love to see Schumacher back - and whether he wins or loses or does dreadfully doesn't really bother me. It certainly wouldn't diminish my respect for his abilities - the fact that he could even get close, at that age, would be quite something, though I expect he would be at least half way up the field and probably higher (car permitting).

The other thing he would be doing is bringing his experience to the team, and that should help them a lot. And he was good for Massa, after he stopped racing himself, and I think that if he isn't competitive he will still be a big benefit to his team mate, and that is how I would then rate him - as a team player bringing experience.

Kimi didn't retired - he was sacked....

One thing I have come to realise about Schumacher M, he is unpredictable. And you don't always know the truth at the time. He has talked about many things since his retirement, like jerez 1997 and admitting he would like to change the ending there. But some things he will keep. like Monaco 2006, despite what seemed obvious, Michael Schumacher defended himself over Monaco 2006 in ways which were so convincing,many drivers committed fouls, Renault got screwed by it when they crashed their car to let Alonso win, Briatore was involved in that, and you wonder if Alonso had any knowledge of that, many speculate, but we may never know. Same with Schumi, even Ross Brawn sed at the time of Monaco 2006, after Schumi's qualifying drama "That's not the Michael Schumacher I know." Brawn denying Schumacher coming back for Mercedes, do I believe him as much as when he said Schumi did no wrong at Monaco 2006.


A lot of people know how to keep secrets or try to, Alonso, Schumi, Hamilton, Couthard, the list goes on, a lot of truths come out long after the events.

Schumacher is not always emotional, but calculating, sometimes he switches off and is purely the competitive machine, he shocked everyone here, in the world by his announced come back in August, no one would of predicted it, and then no one would of predicted him pulling out due to fitness/neck issues, and now not everyone seems to think he will do a Mercedes and leave Ferrari. I thought Ross Brawn would stay at Ferrari, he didn't, and it's kinda strange how Jean Todt is leaving the world of ferari behind as well, who's left out of the dream team to move on? Schumi. Once your involved with ferrari and make history, it's forever, but only time and space seems forever, I think alot of people think it's written in stone Schumacher would be with ferrari forever, including me, perhaps even now I still think he will stay with them, maybe he will, but then that would be the predictable answer, but the man is capable of doing the opposite, there have been times where many people have questioned his thinking, he remains still quite private. So I think there is a strong 50/50 chance he could shock us again, he used to say back in the ferrari years, that it's possible to race in your 40s. And his fitness will still remain better then most people I know at their age, because Michael knows no other way, if it can be done, he'll do it, if it can't, then he won't come back.


The psycology of Schumacher is fasinating, because it's still a undiscovered country

Like he says, who knows.

So what if MS comes back?

It will never outdo Nikki Lauda's feat of coming back after a massive shunt and a screwed face and lungs and psyco damage about the crash, the trapped body and the fire.

Furthermore it will reveal the mistake MS committed when he decided to retire too early.

What a childish comment!

Has it occured to you that maybe he doesn't come back to "outdo" anybody, but for his own fun?

Straight up, brother!

Now, after the sabotage of Kimi's car, that was the only other thing Michael still could do. What if Kimi would be all un-sabotaged in 2010 in a Ferrari while Michael would play around as a SECOND driver in the SECOND Mercedes car of the Mercedes team?

He's pissing on the Ferrari legacy, he knows it, he only hopes the Tifosi will allow him........ Sleeping with the Enemy, is it called.....

It's getting serious. According to this ( http://www.speedweek.eu/news/8894/Schumi-C...-Zeitfrage.html ) article Michael made a visit to Mercedes GP in Stuttgart on Tuesday.
Willi Weber is quoted saying decision about Schumi's future can be delayed until after Christmas. What decision if everything is clear? Something is going on there....

"I can resist everything except temptation"
Oscar Wilde

holy shit.. a visit to mercedes is never for nothing... now they must be talking details... meaning he is 75% going for it....

unless he's buying his wife a new car...

I've just heard from a contact in Geneva that the deal has now been done. 1 + 1 year contract at Schumi's option.

Thanks Tifoso, I'm contacting my people right now like crazy, I hope my sources say the same thing, so that this finally coems to reality, let's wait and see!

Schumi, Alonso, Vettel, Button, Massa, Lewis..man oh man!

That sorta contradicts the interview with Nick Fry on the front page where he talks of this likely taking till January. Doesn't sound like anything is decided.

Schumacher is on the list though I feel. Fry says 3 or 4 names, which makes me think that it's:

1. Schuey
2. Heidy Ho
3. Mystery driver?
4. Ol Bob Kubica as the potential '4th' depending how Renault swing.

Agreed. If he were to sign, I don't think it would be until he's seen the cars in the first couple of tests. He has no interest in tarnishing his legacy, or spending a year at the back of the pack which we know Brackley is quite capable of doing.

I hope your sources are good... That would be maga, and good for all concerned. If Schumacher wins a couple of races he would have done well as Lewis, Alonso, Massa will all likely be winning in 2010.

Cracking!!

Haha, poor Nick Fry. You know that he CAN'T say and he isn't supposed to, but by not being able to deny it either.... Yeah, it says it all.

How are you fellas connected? It's no suspicioun of bad intent. But I remeber back in the day when I was still a Mac fan (i.e., up until this past season) a fair few forumers "knew people". They gave us 3500 word essays in the winter testing about the MP4-24 being very quick and how it would blitz the field once so and so component arrived. The phrases "Wait and see" and "Prepare to eat your words" were common utterances. I could only ever tell two forumers that were really connected: AFCA (what happened to him, BTW? Is he still around?) and ATM_Andy. And by that I mean, their info were reliable and 'prophecies' materialised.

Forgive my scepticism, but some people on this board are...and there's no other way of saying it...compulsive liars (bold included for added drama). I'm by no means accusing you two of falling in that catagory. Certainly not. But one can never be too carefull nowadays. I'm sure you understand.

So fellas? Reporters? Are you in the automotive industry? The racing industry? Give us at least a little something...

... from Nick Fry interview..


"I think whether it be Michael or having another prior world champion, it just adds another very interesting element," said Fry.

"Can someone who's 40 or 41 years old compete against someone who is 24 years old? In other sports people have proven that they're very capable even at that age, and I think that would add another fascinating aspect.



...


it would be very very funny if JV got in the Mercedes car instead of Lotus...

Hope yours and IT's sources are much better than the sources who claimed the "contract is done" first with McLaren, then with Mercedes when Kimi's silly season was in full swing.

Make that one, AFCA was just reading a bunch of sources and providing summaries which were quite informative but not much in terms of connection.

I don't know where to put it, but the recent Autosport headline made me chuckle. "MSC would be good for F1 says Fry". No shit!

Yup, quality!

I can imagine they are negotiating with both. But I have no doubt that Michael is first priority from those two. The bottom line is: something IS going on there with Michael and Mercedes. This is more than just a rumour. They are negotiating, I have no doubt. .

Oh! how wonderful that you can imagine this... I posted this idea, but I CAN HARDLY imagine that Mercedes taking JV serious, unless they plan to release new company popular music on Canada...

Sir Stirling Moss, I tells you.
You've heard it here first!
(The Schumi deal is as good as done...)

Myself, i am not in the automotive industry, actually in the cleantech space. I just happen to be fortunate enough to know a few people through nothing more than day to day business dealings. Recently i acquired a direct connection to Virgin F1 heads at the highest level also, they are well across the Brawn/Schumacher/Mercedes issue.

One of my other associates is well connected within Ferrari, confirmed both Kimi's move to Ferrari, the "bad blood" within the team between Luca, Todt and Michael, and Alonso's signed contract/s (there were two) well before the media reported on it.

I have heard now from both of my contacts that Michaels deal is done, the only question is length of contract apparently. Heard the same info from two different sources who actually don't know each other. So unless they both have the same source (unlikely i think) then i thought this was good enough to present on the forum.

I will actually be in London during the Virgin F1 launch on the 15th, and actually right now sitting in Singapore airport lounge waiting for a flight to Heathrow and onto Geneva where i will be staying with a senior FOM figure and F1 shareholder for 4 days. I wont release her name but there aren't that many female shareholders of F1.

I hope that provides a bit of clarity for you while still preserving the identity of my sources.

I released the info on Schumi that i have to see if others who have contacts can support it. As a tifoso i am very conflicted with Michael racing for Merc, he has brought me so much joy over the years and i think he is about to bring me so much pain also. Although less so, once a Ferrari driver, always a Ferrari driver, but this move to Merc is really a hard pill to swallow. I wish him well, but i still wish Ferrari to win the titles, with Michael close behind.

Anyhow, have a great day. About to board a flight.

See post #583. But great that you can support the info; i wonder how long until the main stream media grabs this?

Todt and Luca I understand but if there was bad blood with Michael, why did they keep him as a "consultant"? Todt was pushed out only a year after MS left.
2 contracts? What is this about?