Schumacher's return to F1 not a done deal

Norris McDonald

MOTORSPORT WRITER

Despite all the hype of the last day or so, it's not a 100 per cent done deal that Michael Schumacher will replace Felipe Massa at Ferrari for the rest of the 2009 Formula One season.

Right at the end of all the stories has been this potential deal-breaking paragraph:

"Schumacher will have to undertake a special training program to prove he is fit enough to drive in the Aug. 23 European Grand Prix in Valencia, Spain," Ferrari said.

Arguably F1's greatest driver (he still holds the vast majority of the records), Schumacher is 40 and hasn't driven a Ferrari since sometime last year.

And we all know that an F1 car isn't something you can just strap yourself into and go.

Schumacher himself said one of the reasons he wanted to retire at the end of the 2006 season was that, as he got older, it was getting harder and harder to maintain the physical fitness required to drive a modern F1 car.

So if he's been "letting himself go" a bit in the last three years (yes, he's been racing motorcycles, so he's probably in much better shape than most aging athletes. But he also injured himself when he fell off earlier this year ... ) it stands to reason that Ferrari will want to ensure that he's able to do the job.

It won't do his reputation any good – or Ferrari's, for that matter – if he's so far off the pace at Valencia that it's embarrassing.

Schumacher's (and Ferrari's) decision, by the way, takes a load of pressure off Massa.

F1 drivers are such a macho lot that I bet he's already telling his doctors and his family, that he'll be able to drive the car by the time the race in Valencia rolls around three weeks from now.

After all, if Niki Lauda could be given last rites after being horribly burned in a crash in 1976 and then be back racing for Ferrari six weeks later, what's a little head-and-eye injury?

Which is ridiculous, of course, but that's how some of those guys think. Massa needs time to convalesce and with Schumi in the cockpit, he's got it.

Not so if Ferrari opted for Sebastien Bourdais or some other young guy, because they'd be out to prove they were faster and better than the injured Massa and Felipe would be desperate to get back in the car in order to keep them out.

So it would be best for all concerned if Schumacher passes his little fitness test and then proves he's still got it when F1 races in Spain on Aug. 23.

But until he gets the green light, the question remains.

BMW runs away

BMW is pulling out of F1 because it's been getting its butt kicked, not because of any change in marketing strategy or whatever.

If Robert Kubica and/or Nick Heidfeld had been finishing regularly on the podium, faces would be smiling at corporate headquarters in Munich. Instead, there were scowls all round as BMW was regularly finishing behind Mercedes, Renault, Toyota and Ferrari.

All is not lost, however.

As Brawn GP rose from the ashes of Honda F1, look for BMW motorsport director Mario Thiessen to seek financial backing in order to keep the team going.

Postscript: BMW will not be the last manufacturer to announce it's leaving F1 this year. I suggest Toyota and Renault could also be "on the bubble."

Steckly scores in NASCAR

Defending champion Scott Steckly of Milverton, Ont., won the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race last night at Auto Clearing Motor Speedway in Saskatoon.

Don Thomson Jr. of Ayr, Ont., finished second while D.J. Kennington of St. Thomas, Ont., was third.

Jason Hathaway of Appin, Ont., was fourth and Anthony Simone of Holland Landing was fifth.

With six races remaining in the 13-race season, Andrew Ranger of Roxton Pond, Que., continues to lead the standings (he was eighth last night) by 31 points over Steckly. Ron Beauchamp Jr. of Windsor holds down third place after finishing seventh last night.

Thomson, incidentally, won his first pole of the 2009 season. He's the series' all-time leader in poles with 10.

The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 is next in action a week from Saturday (Aug. 8) at Mosport Speedway.

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