Seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher admits it will be a while before he gets to the podium once again
Seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher admits it will be a while before he gets to the podium once again
Former Ferrari ace and seven-time Formula One World Championship Michael Schumacher hasn't had a great comeback to Formula One since he returned to the cockpit last year in Team Mercedes' colours. Schumacher returned from F1 in 2006 and remained with Ferrari as an advisor.
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Fully covered: Michael Schumacher in a cheerful mood at an event in
Greater Noida yesterday. Pic/Rajeev Tyagi
Then, in 2009, there were talks of him replacing Ferrari's Felipe Massa, but a neck injury prohibited him from doing so. The following year he eventually signed a three-year contract with new outfit Mercedes GP. However, for the first time in over a decade (he made his debut in 1991) he finished without a win and more embarrassingly without a podium.
Best since...
His best results since his comeback have been three fourth-place finishes last year and yet another fourth place this year (Canadian GP), with the winners podium somehow evading him by a whisker. This weekend's inaugural Indian GP however presents a different scenario. It's a new track, a challenging one and since the world championship has already been clinched by Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel, it's now a chance for the other drivers in the line-up to step on the gas.
Schumacher is already excited about the new surface. "The blind spot at Turn Three is particularly interesting," said the 42-year-old veteran, whose eyes still sparkle at the prospect of yet another brand new Grand Prix circuit.
Regret
Speaking of his comeback, the German ace admitted it has not quite gone as planned. "I have not met my expectations since my comeback. There were a lot of expectations especially since we all had tasted success earlier.
We all know what winning tastes like and that's the only thing we want to taste," said Schumacher.
Of his team's performance, Schumacher said they were on the right track. "We are trying to improve and we are heading in the right direction for sure. It's a procedure."
Finally, firing what can be termed as a bit of a warning to his co-drivers in Formula One, the champion declared: "I came back only to be at the top."
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