Press "RETURN"
Tony Tan
Thursday, 11th February 2010 @ 22:15:49 PM
Yes.
He is back.
And he wants to win - not just races. He wants to win another Formula One Drivers' Championship. I am talking about German driver Michael Schumacher.
He wants to "Be Like Mike". Michael Jordan left the NBA in 1993 after winning three championships with the Chicago Bulls, then came out of retirement after two years and promptly guided the Bulls to another three titles.
Like American cycling legend Lance Armstrong, Schumacher is a seven-time champion. Armstrong, a cancer survivor, won the Tour de France a record seven times from 1999 to 2005. He returned to competitive cycling last year after a three-year absence and came in second in the race, narrowly losing out to his teammate. This year, he is trying to make it eight wins.
Schumacher wants to do what only one other Formula One driver has done before. Austrian racing icon, Niki Lauda left the sport in 1979 with two championships in his bag. But a failed business venture forced him to return in 1982 with McLaren and he won his third title in 1982 - by just half a point over his teammate, Frenchman Alain Prost.
Schumacher's comeback could not have come at a better time. Slick tyres were only introduced last year after an absence of 11 years and there are many other rule changes this year that will serve to level the playing field. This is not to say that it will be a walk in the park for the German ace but if anyone can do it, he can.
He has kept himself super-fit after his retirement and his driving skills remains as sharp as ever as evidenced by his performance in the testing sessions conducted so far. Then there is his amazing relationship with Ross Brawn. Brawn has been the mastermind behind each and every one of the German's seven titles. He knows how to extract the best out of his drivers (read: Jenson Button) and he is a master strategist that can turn a seemingly lost cause into a winning one.
Will Schumacher win races this year? Most definitely. Will he win the championship? He stands as good a chance as any of the top runners.
Schumacher is back and Formula One has never looked so good. WUNDERBAR!