Topic: Mercedes F1

[Ultra]

At the press conference, MS given a bit of a kicking at the Mercedes launch as he was asked if he was returning to prove he could win fairly. Ouch !

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Schumacher: Mercedes ready for title




By Jonathan Noble    Monday, January 25th 2010, 13:58 GMT

Michael SchumacherMichael Schumacher says Mercedes GP has all it needs to win the world championship this year - but admits that success is far from guaranteed.

Clearly eager to get on with his first test in the 2010 car, which will be unveiled at the Valencia test next week, Schumacher said at the launch of his team's new colour scheme in Stuttgart on Monday that all the elements were in place for a successful campaign.

"I think we have everything it takes to do it," said Schumacher, appearing in Mercedes-Benz race overalls.

"It's one thing to have all the ingredients to be able to cook it up but it's another thing to have a good result. I believe with the experience Ross has, with what we did last year, having Mercedes as the team itself, with all the experience and the know-how and the quality they have, on top of myself... I'm sorry but there's only one target.

"But it's one thing to have a target and another thing to achieve it."

Schumacher confirmed that physically he was in top shape, and that his neck had held up perfectly well to last week's outing in a GP2 car at Jerez in Spain.

"Yes, I'm sure," he said when asked if he was confident he was fit enough for an F1 return. "I'm hot. It's just taking far too long to get going and we can't wait for next week. I have no issues with the neck. I've done the GP2 test and lots of preparation in the winter, lots of check to make sure all is good."

Schumacher also revealed that team principal Ross Brawn had been pushing him to make a return before this year – and that he was first approached about a potential tie-up with Honda two years ago.

"Quite honestly, we had been almost every year in contact," said Schumacher about his contacts with Brawn. "When he went to Honda at the time, he sort of suggested that there was an option, but I wasn't ready for it.

"We always kept in contact, and saw each other at the races and we had loose contact – sometimes it was a serious question from him and sometimes it was a joke. In Abu Dhabi, he sort of touched already a little bit about this subject, but not deeply. We were just celebrating mainly, and then he called me.

"Knowing that he calls me at this time of the year, and you know what is going on in the business, you knew what was going to be his question."

[MG]

Michael is good. No doubt about it.  Brawn is good. No doubt about that either.

But the F1 world has changed since MS was King of the Mountain. While it is unlikely that any of the new teams will be quick right out of the gate, still, different eyes sometimes see things in a different way. One of the newbies may surprise and I put my money on USF1 to be the team to do it if any of them do.

Brawn seemed to slip backwards into the clutches of Red Bull in the late stages of last season. So it seems probable that Red Bull will be the quickest at the beginning of the 2010 season.

I guess the question is, if you were picking your Fantasy F1 team today, who would be on it?

I would have the Mercedes engine (MGP edition), the McLaren chassis, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton.  You?   


PS: I find the new MGP livery to be disappointing and underwhelming. Just my  :2¢:

[Ultra]

I don't like the livery either.  I don't know who I would pick.  I always use testing as the basis.  I am anxious to see them start testing again.

I am confident that USF1 will make the grid.  I think that is the only big surprise they are likely to pull off this year.

[Ultra]

The MS lid.  Looking for a side shot.

[Otto Puzzell]

I like Vettel's and Red Bull's chances. They are going into the new season pretty much intact. Newey's had a year to improve his already very good car.

On the other hand, I see the Mercedes team as similar to the 2008 Tigers. The owner and GM of the Detroit ballclub went shopping for a team that looked virtually unbeatable (on paper), and they finished in last place in their division. They paid huge sums for talent, some of which performed well, and some of which was a bust (and remain so to this day). They even had a GM and manager who had put together a World Series winning team once before, in another city.

Then there's the sophomore jinx.

Other questions - will Cosworth present a dud engine? Probably not. So any team with one of those may do better than expected.

Ferrari's rumored to have fuel consumption issues - not a good thing when you have to start with enough fuel to run the whole race. Alonso's good, yes, but is that enough?