Alan Henry
Wednesday January 25, 2006
The Guardian
Michael Schumacher yesterday claimed that age was no barrier to his winning an eighth world championship, as the Ferrari 248 F1 was unveiled at the Mugello circuit near Florence.
At 37 Schumacher is the oldest driver on this year's grid and there has been plenty of speculation that his motivation may be flagging as he enters his 15th full season in formula one. But the German has no doubt that he can shrug aside the disappointment of a 2005 campaign which yielded only one win.
"I don't really need to feel anything different," he said. "There's one thing that is in your passport and another thing that you feel in your body and your brain. I've seen those guys around for quite a while now, I know them pretty well - we play soccer and do things together - and I don't have a feeling that I am an old man hopelessly lost against these young guys; not at all. In a lot of areas I am still able to show them what's possible."
Having won five of his seven world championships with Ferrari, Schumacher also admitted he was not the slightest bit bothered that he will be starting his first season since 2000 without the No1 of the reigning world champion on the nose of his car. "It's back to what it used to be," he said, remembering his third-place finish in the 1996 championship, his first season with Ferrari. "It's not so long ago not to remember it. I don't really care very much what is there other than the No1."
It remains to be seen whether Schumacher will continue racing in 2007 but Ferrari's president Luca di Montezemolo has made it clear that the decision is totally down to the man who has an all-time-record 84 victories against his name.
The question of whether the 248 F1 can deliver the sort of sustained success to which Schumacher became accustomed during his five-year domination is more complicated. This year the sport faces the biggest shake-up of its technical regulations since turbocharged engines were banned at the end of 1988 and teams are having to develop a new generation of less powerful 2.4-litre V8s.
Despite the poor performance of last year's car Ferrari affirmed total faith in their chief designer Aldo Costa by making him completely responsible for the concept of the 248 F1. Last year he worked under the discreet guidance of his predecessor Rory Byrne and the fact that he has in effect been promoted suggests that Ferrari lay much of the blame for last year's debacle on Bridgestone's inability to make a tyre capable of staying competitive over a race distance when tyre changes were not permitted. This will be less of an issue now that tyre changes are permitted again, much to the frustration of some of the Michelin-contracted teams, notably McLaren and Renault, who believe they are being deliberately handicapped.
Costa explained that the new car had little similarity to last year's F2005 and most of the changes had been dictated by the change in regulations. "It was mainly to do with the V8 engine and we imposed a radical change from both a mechanical and aerodynamic point of view," he said. "The aerodynamics are still at a preliminary stage and will be until the first race."
Schumacher was encouraged by his preliminary laps in the car, which he drove briefly last week in a shakedown at the Fiorano test track in Maranello. "I believe we're ready to show a good, competitive car," he said. "How competitive we will only find out when we start testing with the others and finally go racing. But the indications are very positive."
Whatever Schumacher's eventual decision about his future, Ferrari are determined to remain a dynamic force and have in mind possible replacements - they already have a new No2 driver in Felipe Massa - but perhaps more significantly Ross Brawn, their formula one technical director, has indicated that he wants to remain beyond the expiry of his current contract at the end of this season. The most famous formula one team of all are clearly determined to retain their formidable technical arsenal, with or without the most successful driver of all time.
What chance for the Prancing Horse?
Why Ferrari can win
Motivation Schumacher and the whole team are determined to bounce back after last year's slump to third in the constructors' championship and sole race win.
Grunt New 2.4-litre V8 engine may be among the most powerful.
Burnt rubber Tyre changes again permitted which should play to the strength of their Bridgestone tyres.
Trial and error Test team have been working on developing 2006 components since before Christmas. That Ferrari did not join the other teams in agreeing to limit testing helped them in this respect.
Why Ferrari can lose
Peer pressure McLaren, Renault and Toyota may have a much stronger technical package if initial tests are anything to go by.
Lack of resolve Schumacher's motivation may flag if the new Ferrari fails to prove competitive from the first race.
Number crunching The team's new No2 driver Felipe Massa may not be strong enough to fulfil an effective supporting role as his predecessor Rubens Barrichello did.
Power failure The new generation of V8 engines may be mechanically fragile and unreliable. They will have to be revved harder in the races than in testing and this could trigger unexpected failures.
http://sport.guardian.co.uk/formulaone/story/0,,1694011,00.html
AuthorTopic: I can still show young guys the way home, says Schumacher (Read 373 times)
January 14, 2006, 04:01:52 PM