During this hiatus between Shanghai and Spain, I've read dozens of articles and blog posts about Schumacher. It appears that pundits are in agreement that if Schumacher does not perform well by x, then his return from retirement can be deemed a failure. Just exactly when is x? Well, three deadlines have been given by current and former F1 drivers and journos:
1. The Spanish GP this weekend.
2. The Monaco GP next weekend.
3. The mid-point of the season, i.e. British GP (July 11).
Somebody promote Nick Heidfeld before his career sinks lower into the abyss. This is Heidfeld today in Spain wearing a photog's smock!
Yeah... I was at the airport on Thursday and picked up a Wall Street Journal and was surprised to find that even they had a big piece about Schumacher's return and his difficulties.
ReplyDeleteThis weekend is very much make or break for him. They've all but built a new car for him and he's racing at a track he used to absolutely dominate.
@F1O: Okay, I'm putting you down as one of those who gives MSC this weekend as the deadline. With him outqualifying ROS, I think his critics (like me) will finally start shutting up.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, RBR SHOULD BE 1,000 points in the lead with that car. Holy smokes.
As far as qualifying goes, Schumacher did his job. The race we'll have to wait and see. But I'm not expecting anything spectacular. The car is still a bit of a dud.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure Rosberg is fuming seeing the team stymie his chances at maintaining his 2nd place in the championship just to make Schumacher look better.
Kamui Kobayashi was a surprise to see in Q3 today. He'll probably disappoint in the race tomorrow though.