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?

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?

I will make this quick, flight boarding in 5min.

The relationship with Luca and Todt was definitely worse, but there was a bad period with Michael during and directly after Monza 2006 due to how Luca managed the whole process. I explained this in an earlier post. These wounds have been healed more or less and Michael has obviously very strong ties to Ferrari beyond Luca. The schumacher brand is pretty valuable for Ferrari and vice versa so the consultant status works for both.

Todt was pushed out after his contract came up, and Luca although not getting along with Todt knew that he needed him in 2007 as he had just lost Michael and Brawn.

2 Contracts, one was a pre agreement with Alonso, the second the definitive one, i spoke about this also around the time.

Sorry Klover, gotta go.

And Heidfeld is fast, but again, needs to prove himself.

And how does he need to prove himself exactly?

And how does he need to prove himself exactly?

Seems many Tifosi's are going Anti-Schumacher soon heh ......

Ok, I expected this. I'm not saying he can't win a race or a championship. OK, you know what. I might have expressed myself wrongly. Let me rephrase what I mean.

What I meant was, that I'd prefer an estabished winning driver in one of the seats. From a supporter point of view, it would make me feel a whole lot better knowing that the guy has won some races. I do believe it takes a different temperament to win a race and not choke somewhere in the process. You know how it goes. A driver is on his way to win a race and he misses his brake point to the pits, runs over the white line, spins out, crashes into a backmarker, etc.

Yes, I know the guy is FAST! He's proven that. And he probably deserves the seat as much as anyone. BUT, he hasn't proven he has the temperament to win a race. That's what I meant by proving himself.

I'm not saying he can't win a race. But I have no proof that he can.

IF it comes to pass. Can I just say that many here predicted he would tie up with (as it was) Brawn F1 a long, long time ago.
Well done armchair silly season pundits, but you can only feel smug when/if he signs on the dotted line.

So there really is no reason as to why you think he needs to 'prove' himself? That's what I gathered anyway.

I am posting what I think, and would this make me a lier?

Yeh, will await kar's reaction with interest...

Is kar a tifoso or a schufoso? The schufosi are not to be confused with the tifosi.

Oh common man, did you not read my message? The whole winning temperament thing? Drivers chocking?

He has the speed to win, I believe. He needs to prove he has the temperament (the mental calmness and control) to win as well. Winning = speed + temperament. I believe it's what's referred to as "A complete driver".

I'm not saying he doesn't have it. He may well have it. But we can't know for sure. Yes, yes, I know, then he needs to be given the opportunity. But alas, the selfish fan within would prefer another team take that gamble and not our beloved Mercedes GP.

We may be about to find out.

If MS does sign up with Brawn/Mercedes, the hysteria and hype will reach unbelieavable levels. Just for the entertainment value on the forum I hope he does it.

Why do you feel the need to question his temperament? He's no gamble at all, I consider him one of the safest options when actually looking back on his career...

If MS does sign up with Brawn/Mercedes, the hysteria and hype will reach unbelieavable levels. Just for the entertainment value on the forum I hope he does it.

What a childish comment!

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

In a sentence? Well, because I don't know if it exists. Again, I'm not saying it doesn't, I sincerely don't know. I want to see the man in a make or break high pressure situation where he needs to race fast and smart and under pressure. If he then wins, then I'd say he'd have done enough to be considered as having the temperament for winning a race.

If you want to find out whether he has the temperament to win then you should want him in the Mercedes, not Schumacher.

It's not going to happen according to James Allen:
http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/

and he's right, Ferrari would have be nuts to let him go.

It's not going to happen according to James Allen:
http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/

and he's right, Ferrari would have be nuts to let him go.

IF it comes to pass. Can I just say that many here predicted he would tie up with (as it was) Brawn F1 a long, long time ago.
Well done armchair silly season pundits, but you can only feel smug when/if he signs on the dotted line.

Ok I'll bite. I am still resolutely clinging to the belief that this Schuey-Mercedes deal most definately WON'T happen. They (Merc/MS camp) are jerking the media chain and the media are jerking ours. Its all a bit of harmless PR panto. Defo info from armchair expert enterprises.

Ok I'll bite. I am still resolutely clinging to the belief that this Schuey-Mercedes deal most definately WON'T happen. They (Merc/MS camp) are jerking the media chain and the media are jerking ours. Its all a bit of harmless PR panto. Defo info from armchair expert enterprises.

(I suppose the good news for some of you is that this will probably happen now!).

That's all well and good but if he doesn't want to stay at Ferrari, can't he just leave anyway? What are they gonna do, put him in jail?

No but they sure can sue him, he just signed a 3 year contract, and he is worth big bucks to Ferrari, so unless MS wants to pay up a fortune in damages I suspect he would stay.

No but they sure can sue him, he just signed a 3 year contract, and he is worth big bucks to Ferrari, so unless MS wants to pay up a fortune in damages I suspect he would stay.

i thought that contract was never signed

I thought his manager said he signed?

In any case, you can see how Ferrari would be the big loser in such a switch and why they won't let him go, what business manager in his right mind would.

i thought that contract was never signed

I thought his manager said he signed?

In any case, you can see how Ferrari would be the big loser in such a switch and why they won't let him go, what business manager in his right mind would.

Allen is moron. Ferrari wont make any troubles for Schu. For everything he has done for them, they will just kiss him in his big cheek and thats it.

Allen is moron. Ferrari wont make any troubles for Schu. For everything he has done for them, they will just kiss him in his big cheek and thats it.

true that, on the other hand MS has a HUGE fan base, so if the merc deal goes down the drain it would have some negativ effect on the rep of ferrari

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.

...

Allen is moron. Ferrari wont make any troubles for Schu. For everything he has done for them, they will just kiss him in his big cheek and thats it.

Yeah right, what is Schumacher thinking. Laudas tragic accident, that nearly cost him his life, really raised the bar in that “competition”. Schumacher can’t beat that, he should better stay away.

He won F3000 10 years ago, but hasn't had a chance to win a race since then. If you want to find out whether he has the temperament to win then you should want him in the Mercedes, not Schumacher.