Michael Schumacher ready for Formula 1 and a tilt at an eighth title

www.guardian.co.uk - Germany's Michael Schumacher has said he is as hungry as ever on his return to Formula 1Four world champions lined up for the pre-race photocall in the grand prix paddock this afternoon, but only one of them had the dust of the revised Sakhir circuit - with an extra kilometre and nine new corners added to its layout - on his shoes. Michael Schumacher is back, and with him comes the infinite capacity for taking pains that is sometimes said to define genius.The 41-year-old Schumacher walked the track while the other three - Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso - were presumably content with the hours of familiarisation they had undergone in their teams' sophisticated race simulators. The German champion, returning to Formula One after a three-year retirement, is now officially old-school. And despite 68 pole positions, 91 race wins and seven world championships, he was leaving nothing to chance as he prepared for his debut with the new Mercedes-Benz team."It's great to have him back," a lighthearted Button said as they sat together at today's press conference. "He makes me feel young again." But Alonso, the only one of the other three to have captured his championships during Schumacher's first spell in grand prix racing, made the point that a win against a field including the German was worth more than one achieved in his absence."When you see the world championships that Michael has, it's something that may be impossible to repeat," Alonso said. "But looking at those titles, those pole positions, those grand prix wins, we all agree that he is the best ever. So I'm happy that he's here. A grand prix with Michael on the track has more value."Once upon a time, entering a world ruled by Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet, a 22-year-old Schumacher felt much the same. "It's a good comparison," he said today, "because when I arrived in Formula One my biggest expectation was far below what I finally achieved. I wasn't full of confidence about being on the same playing field. But pretty soon I realised that they cook with the same water we all use. They are all humans. I feel pretty much the same way now."Schumacher claims to be as fit and as hungry for success as ever, although yesterday he was exposed to the side of the sport that no driver really enjoys. In the morning a press conference at Bahrain's main Mercedes-Benz dealership started more than an hour late, a curious lapse for a team which, returning to Formula One under its own name for the first time since 1955, is hoping to emulate the dominance achieved by its predecessors, who were notorious for operating with a precision that brought professional standards of organisation to a sport previously dominated by the amateur ethos. At the circuit in the afternoon he lined up with his rivals to face the media again, seated on a rostrum in a sort of pole position with the two Ferrari drivers, Alonso and Felipe Massa, on either flank and the McLaren pair of Button and Hamilton hovering over his shoulders.He is, inevitably, the centre of attention, even in a season with the two most recent champions teaming up at McLaren, and with Alonso joining Schumacher's old team to race alongside Massa, who is making his return from the serious head injury that kept him out of the second half of last season. In any normal year, too, the return of the name Senna to grand prix racing, with the great Ayrton's nephew Bruno joining the new Hispania team, would be making headlines, but Schumacher's comeback has turned it into a footnote.Perhaps the most daunting thought for his rivals, however, is that they will not be facing just the greatest driver of their era but a revival of the old partnership of Schumacher and Ross Brawn, his technical director with both Benetton and Ferrari and now the Mercedes team principal. Yesterday he was asked to describe the nature of their relationship and to explain the reasons for its consistent success."I feel it's Ross's capability to analyse things and then give directions to all the people at the factory, in order for them to have a clear line to follow," he said. "Then at the track it's the way he reads a race and reacts to events. It's very straightforward. He also knows my strengths and how he can use them. And hopefully this will lead to some other good moments."About the difference between Ferrari and Mercedes, he said: "One is red, the other is silver." The off-the-cuff joke hid a deeper truth: although the reunion with Brawn is taking place in Oxfordshire rather than Emilia-Romagna, it locates Schumacher in a familiar and comfortable environment. It also evokes memories of past scandals, on and off the track, suggesting that however warm the welcome he is receiving from the other drivers at the outset of the new season, it may not be sweetness and light all the way.Asked what his wife, Corinna, and two children thought about his decision to get back into the cockpit of a 200mph racing car, he replied: "Corinna is here this weekend. She's fairly happy about what I'm doing because she's happy if I'm happy - and I'm very happy right now." His smile faded, however, when he spoke of their daughter, 12-year-old Gina Maria, and son, 10-year-old Mick. "In the past you have never heard anything about my children and you won't be hearing about them now. They have the allowance of their privacy."Whatever motivated his return, it was certainly not a need to provide for his family. Rich enough to have donated US$10m (£6.65m) to the 2004 tsunami disaster fund, he was estimated to have earned £50m a year from all sources before his retirement. Now his retainer from Mercedes is around £6m, around a quarter of what he was getting from Ferrari, which basically means he is doing it for fun."I guess what I'm enjoying is sitting in the car and turning the wheel and fighting against all the other guys on the track," he said. "That's what I've been missing. I said at the presentation of the new car that I felt like a 12-year-old boy. I've grown a little bit since then, but not by much."Michael SchumacherMercedes GPFormula OneMotor sportRichard Williamsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds More... (Motor sport)

Lewis Hamilton insists he won't go off track

www.guardian.co.uk - Former world champion without two mentors this season 'I race for the same team and I've still the same determination'Lewis Hamilton has no intention of going off the rails now he no longer has by his side two dominant characters who have ruled his life.Less than a year ago Hamilton lost his mentor Ron Dennis who stepped down as McLaren's team principal, many believe to ensure his team avoided severe punishment over the 'lie-gate' scandal. Dennis had been an instrumental figure in Hamilton's career since the age of 13 when he was taken on by McLaren and Mercedes as part of their driver development programme.Then just last week, the 25-year-old announced a parting of the ways from his father Anthony as his manager, insisting he wanted to build a more normal father-son relationship away from Formula One.Ahead of the season-opening grand prix in Bahrain this weekend, it leaves Hamilton without a guiding figure at a race for the first time in his life, a situation he is convinced he can handle."When Ron stepped back, nothing really changed. We've still a good relationship, and if anything it has actually grown," said Hamilton. "Rather than a stressed, thoughtful boss thinking about the job and always giving you advice, now he just gives an opinion. He is so relaxed now, and I think it will probably be the same with my dad."Inevitably, with my dad taking a step back, I will have to make some more decisions for myself. But then I've always been able to do that anyway. For example, I chose where I wanted to live, although I still hope to be guided in the same way."Hamilton maintains there is no wild side about to emerge. "I am who I am," he said. "I don't think anybody has stopped me from being who I wanted to be. When I arrived in the sport, I didn't go out and buy a million different cars, I took my time."Maybe I might buy one car this year, and I might go to one more Amber Lounge [post-race] party this year than I did last year. Who knows? But that's not being wild."I've still the same girl, I race for the same team and I've still the same dedication and determination. I don't think you should try and change something that works. My style, my approach, has always worked for me, and I tend to keep it that way."For now, until Hamilton acquires a new manager, the team principal Martin Whitmarsh will have to take up the mantle of guiding light.Although Hamilton and team-mate Jenson Button are all smiles at the moment as they attempt to build their friendship, Whitmarsh has recognised inevitable issues may arise.As Whitmarsh recently said: "At some point, one of them is going to feel uncomfortable because he is getting beaten by the other."That could lead to friction and be a time when Hamilton will need to turn to someone for advice, although he feels it will not come to that."Formula One is the pinnacle of the sport, it's so intense, so much is going on, so you can't guess whether we will have a tough time at some stage, or something like that," said Hamilton. "But we're professionals, and we have a mutual respect for one another that we will deal with it professionally. That's my feeling."Lewis HamiltonFormula OneMotor sportguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds More... (Motor sport)

Jenson Button looking forward to 'a belter' of an F1 season

www.guardian.co.uk - World champion predicts a season to remember 'With the new regulations we don't know who is the quickest'Jenson Button believes this season in Formula One will be "a belter" and that Michael Schumacher will prove he can still compete at the age of 41.Button lifted the drivers' crown last year with Brawn GP, but has since joined his predecessor as world champion and fellow Briton Lewis Hamilton at McLaren.And the 30-year-old hopes that new regulations, with no refuelling during the race, and the return of seven-time champion Schumacher - never one to shy away from controversy - will bring many fans back to the sport."I think it will be a belter of a year this year," Button said after receiving the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year Award in Abu Dhabi. "Not for me, I think for Formula One as a whole and for all of us who love Formula One and racing in Formula One."You've got four top teams, maybe even five or six that are going to be quick and competitive. With the new regulations we don't really know who is the quickest team. It's a great position to be in, I think it's great for the sport and hopefully will attract more viewers and fans."Michael Schumacher coming back I think is great for the sport. "He's 41, people are saying he's too old, he's not. I'm 30, at 41 I can't imagine myself racing, I'll go and do something else, but Michael's realised I think it's difficult to find something else to do that gives you that buzz like Formula One does."He's back and with four world champions on the grid all in competitive cars [Button, Hamilton, Schumacher and Fernando Alonso], and new regulations, it should be a very exciting season."Last year was great having a couple of new teams fighting at the front but there were some negatives as well, mostly off circuit."Jenson ButtonFormula OneMotor sportguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds More... (Motor sport)

Jenson Button looking forward to 'belter' of an F1 season

www.guardian.co.uk - World champion predicts a season to remember 'With the new regulations we don't know who is the quickest'Jenson Button believes this season in Formula One will be "a belter" and that Michael Schumacher will prove he can still compete at the age of 41.Button lifted the drivers' crown last year with Brawn GP, but has since joined his predecessor as world champion and fellow Briton Lewis Hamilton at McLaren.The 30-year-old hopes that new regulations, with no refuelling during the race, and the return of the seven-times champion Schumacher - never one to shy away from controversy - will bring many fans back to the sport."I think it will be a belter of a year this year," Button said after receiving the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year Award in Abu Dhabi. "Not for me, I think for Formula One as a whole and for all of us who love Formula One and racing in Formula One."You've got four top teams, maybe even five or six that are going to be quick and competitive. With the new regulations we don't really know who is the quickest team. It's a great position to be in. I think it's great for the sport and hopefully will attract more viewers and fans."Michael Schumacher coming back I think is great for the sport. He's 41 - people are saying he's too old, but he's not. I'm 30, and at 41 I can't imagine myself racing, I'll go and do something else, but Michael's realised I think it's difficult to find something else to do that gives you that buzz like Formula One does."He's back and with four world champions on the grid all in competitive cars [Button, Hamilton, Schumacher and Fernando Alonso], and new regulations, it should be a very exciting season."Last year was great having a couple of new teams fighting at the front but there were some negatives as well, mostly off circuit."Jenson ButtonFormula OneMcLarenMotor sportguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds More... (Motor sport)