Return of the Champion

I began watching Formula One racing in earnest about a decade ago. At that time I was in college and for once I had friends who enjoyed discussing racing and all as much as I did. It was also around the time that Michael Schumacher, the legendary Ferrari driver was just starting to come into his own. Although he had been around F1 since the early 1990's, it wasn't until almost the middle of the last decade of the 20th Century that he really started to come into his own and he more or less single-handedly returned Ferrari to it's previous glory.

At the time that Schumacher made the switch to Ferrari, the team was probably one of the surprising 'also-ran' type of outfits. It was perennially a contender but never consistent. They sometimes seemed as if they had promise and at others that promise fizzled out like the wind. But upon Schumacher's arrival at the team, this already controversial driver (he had several incidents in prior years that made many come to hate the man with a passion) took the team by storm and with the help of Jean Todt and Ross Brawn (currently making waves with his Brawn GP team) they managed to make Ferrari a champion again. That seems a bit odd because for people who know even a little about cars, Ferrari is known to be one of the fastest and most expensive and while that's true, fame and fortune don't always translate well onto the racetrack (just ask BMW who will be withdrawing from F1 at the end of the season).

What Michael Schumacher brought to the sport was a driver who not only drove fast but helped tailor the cars so that they would run better and faster. He thought like an engineer and worked with his crew to ensure that the car was set up perfectly. He was one of those rare drivers who was as good in the cockpit as he was out of it. Not many drivers could tell an engineer what the exact problem was and how they could correct it. Schumacher could. Not many drivers worried about physical fitness thus perpetuating the rumor that driving shouldn't be considered a sport. Schumacher did. He maintained a level of fitness that very few drivers could compete with and even after his retirement in 2006 he continued to work with the team and maintain his fitness, proof of his commitment to Ferrari and their racing hopes.

And although the team hasn't gotten off to a very strong start this year, they are still contenders once again. Now with the season about half over, Ferrari was shaken up with the accident that has put Ferrari driver Felipe Massa in the hospital with a skull fracture and the team's season in doubt. Although they have backup drivers and test drivers, it isn't much of a surprise that Schumacher is making indications of coming back. Though he's been away from the sport for nearly 3 years he has continued to race and test for the team and given that Schumacher is one of those drivers who quickly learns and adapts his driving style, it will be interesting to see just how he fairs if he does indeed come back to the sport.

I for one think it's a great idea by Ferrari and Formula One. The last few years have been wonderful in that it's not like the early part of the century when Michael Schumacher and Ferrari were miles ahead of the pack with the others trying to keep up. Now it's almost anyone's season to be won or lost and with the addition of Schumacher, Formula One could become exciting once again. There have been many recent sports comebacks and though not all of them have been all that successful (I'm looking at you Brett Favre) I think that Schumacher could make the sport worth watching for a whole lot more people once again. We'll know in another three weeks in Germany I suppose.