The legend that is Michael Schumacher is back where he belongs, behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car. The 41 year has come out of retirement to secure a drive with Mercedes for the 2010 season. There were speculations that he was about to sit in as a reserve driver last season, and since getting in training for that, the German, seven times World Champion has been tempted back. Schumacher is not just back as a token gesture though, he fully intents to challenge for the Driver’s Championship, currently held by Jenson Button, who won the title for Brawn, which is the Mercedes team re-branded. How easy will it be for him to step back into the sport?
F1 has sped up considerably in terms of lap times since Schumacher retired, and he will have to compete with guys who have been living at the edge of the modern racing times, like Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, Rubens Barrichello, Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. He will at least be sitting in one of the most competitive cars on the track, and combined with his own super-competitiveness, he will probably still be some kind of threat. But, he will not only be in a battle against other drivers, but how much will his age affect his performances, when it comes down to racing against men who are predominantly in their twenties?
Other F1 racing news has seen the introduction of Richard Branson’s Virgin team. Branson, who invested heavily last year in Brawn, has spread his wings and is competing under the new Manor team next season, being called Virgin Racing. Driving for Virgin will be Timo Glock and Lucas di Grassi, and the team are optimistic, yet realistic about their ability to even win one race in 2010. This is highlighted in the price of 150/1 at Blue Square for him to win the Drivers Championsip. Richard Branson has even laid down a challenge to AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes, that the Virgin team will finish ahead of Fernandes’ Lotus team. In a friendly bet, Branson said that Fernandes could come and work on Virgin airlines as a stewardess, if Virgin beats Lotus over the season (and vice versa should he lose).
But all of the hype next season will be focused on Michael Schumacher, and of course, the Bookmakers of the world have jumped all over the news. So let’s take a look around as some of the prices you can get on Mr Schumacher’s return to the glitz and glamour of the Formula One scene. For starters, Schumacher is already at 6/1 with Coral to win the Drivers Championship outright, and he is 8/15 at 888Sport to win a race during the season.
