Schumacher comeback buzz shows F1’s desperation

That was especially true of 2002 and 2004,when Schumacher and his Ferrari sidekick Rubens Barrichello won 30 of the total of 35 races. It perhaps would have been simpler — and undoubtedly better for global warming — to have handed the trophies to Schumacher at the outset and not bother with those absurdly lopsided seasons. Schumacher’s crushing dominance,his minute attention to detail and his sober dedication were as tedious in their regularity as they were admirable. Astounding but not edge-of-your-seat entertainment.

When Schumacher finally called it a day in 2006,having rewritten just about every major F1 record there is,Fernando Alonso’s reaction spoke for many. “Things will be more equal now,” the Spanish driver said.

Alonso also had the courage to say out loud what others wouldn’t — that Schumacher’s occasionally underhand tactics,such as ramming into rival Jacques Villeneuve and disrupting qualifying at Monaco by parking his car on the track,would not be missed.

Three years and,more importantly,one global financial meltdown later and Schumacher is suddenly the new messiah. Were it not for Schumacher’s return,F1 fans wouldn’t have much to get revved up about in 2010. Auto manufacturing powerhouses Toyota,BMW and Honda have gone,squeezed out both by the economic downturn and F1’s refusal to seriously curb its exorbitant costs.

Filling the gaps on the grid with an array of new teams,as F1’s administrators have done,will make up numbers but is hardly likely to make for a thrilling championship.

At best,Lotus,Campos,Virgin and USF1 may be competitive enough to make the racing between themselves mildly interesting. At worse,they could be complete jokes,hopelessly off the pace of bigger teams with richer resources and better drivers — like Ferrari,McLaren and Schumacher’s new employer,Mercedes. With the gap between F1 haves and have-nots seemingly so large,next season’s grid could be horribly unbalanced — making,perhaps,for a two- or even three-tier championship.

Little wonder then that Mercedes says it got calls from rival teams welcoming Schumacher’s return. Having him back in an F1 cockpit at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix in March will help gloss over the sport’s problems. F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone now says that “all indications point to a jaw-dropping season” — a claim that would have sounded over-inflated before Schumacher’s comeback was confirmed last week. It was just the Christmas present that F1 needed.

“All of Formula One wants Michael back,” says Mercedes chief executive Nick Fry. “It’s good for all the Formula One teams.”

It should be good for Schumacher,too. At his peak,he had talent to spare and his levels of fitness are such that his age — he turns 41 this weekend — shouldn’t be an obstacle to renewed success. He also says he’s fully recovered from a neck injury that prevented him from making a return in 2009. Although the Mercedes is new to him and he won’t have much time to familiarise himself with it,racing is all that Schumacher knows. He won his first trophy — a piston screwed onto a piece of wood — in karting at age five. His years of experience should enable him to get quickly up to speed again.