Mercedes GP Petronas is to give Michael Schumacher a different chassis for the coming races, in an attempt to revive what is now a flagging Formula 1 return. Schumacher has been overshadowed all year by Nico Rosberg, and while there is no question that Nico is a decent driver, he has never been considered in the same league as the Lewis Hamiltons, Fernando Alonsos and Robert Kubicas.
The cars that were sent out to Bahrain at the beginning of March have been on the road ever since, going on to Australia, Malaysia and China. They have now been returned to the factories and work can be done to them, although time is somewhat shorter than planned because of the transportation disruption that has occurred because of the Icelandic volcano.
The team can do nothing about the chassis design as this is homologated for the whole season (which basically means that the FIA has given it a seal of approval and it cannot now be changed). The teams agreed not to modify their chassis construction this year – in order to cut costs. There are things that can be done to move the weight around to better suit Michael’s driving style, but that is about all that can be done.
Michael will get the same chassis that he was using in pre-season testing. Team boss Ross Brawn says that the one he has been racing was damaged and repaired in the early races and this may be the cause of the problems he has been having, notably in China where he was completely outclassed by Rosberg. This sometimes happens in F1. It is thought that Force India will also be changing the chassis being used by Tonio Liuzzi, as he too has been reporting that there is something wrong with it.
At the same time the team is planning to give him a car with a different wheelbase and Brawn says “it has taken Michael a little time to settle into these cars and particularly the tyres. These tyres are very different to what he had last time he was racing.”
Brawn says that Schumacher is not lacking commitment, as has been suggested by one or two of his rivals, but rather that his “technique needs tuning, and the car needs tuning”. Brawn added that, according to the data, Schumacher is losing speed in “odd places” and this is why the he and the team will sort it all out and get him up to speed.
Schumacher enjoyed many advantages during his career, notably when he was at Ferrari where the cars were designed to his tastes. This was not the case at Mercedes as the current MGP W01 was designed long before he signed to drive for the team, indeed it was completed well before the idea was even discussed as it was assumed that Jenson Button would stay on with the team.
so if they have to use the same chassis , how much can they change the wheelbase ?
presumably the mounting points are fixed , no doubt some small change in the suspension geometry is possible , but ross is on record as saying that they are already on the limit of adjustment
what does it all mean ?
wont make any difference to michaels performance, do any changes as you like, the car has the capacity to win, hes just plain slow , the f1 driver of today is by far better than 6 years ago, better reactions etc…
sorry Micky mouse me boy, but i wont buy “poor car performance” as an excuse, its skill level we are looking for…
Pete, with all due respect, it’s nonsense to say that “the f1 driver of today is by far better than 6 years ago, better reactions etc…” The human species doesn’t evolve that quickly. It’s fair to say that there are more top drivers in F1 now than for a long time, but that’s a cyclical thing – for example, the mid ’80s and late ’60s were extremely strong too.
So, the competition is tough. As Joe points out, Schumacher is also driving a car that was not tailor-made for his style. Moreover, his greatest success came in years when he had a dominant car and a contractually subservient team-mate – conditions that do make winning a championship rather easier, and that he clearly does not enjoy now. In a sport where the slightest weakness can drop you from the front to the middle of the grid, perhaps his struggle should not surprise us.
If you watched Michael’s in-car qualifying you could why he was slow, it didn’t look like he was trying.
Confidence? Who knows, but he was keeping off the kerbs, braking early, and tentative on the throttle. I’ve heard it suggested it’s the first F1 car he’s ever driven without traction control…
I honestly think you’ve got some involvement with Tonio Liuzzi’s management. You’ve been lauding him for years, far in excess of his abilities. And now you not so subtley try and excuse his 2010 performance’s by tying a possible chassis problem in with an article about Schumacher…
There’s more to this than meets the eye…
BertieBertie,
You are off your trolley! I just happen to rate the guy… There is nothing more to it than that.
All reminiscent of McLaren building the new chassis to accommodate Mansell’s fat frame when he made his embarrassing comeback with the wrong team when he also was too old.
It didn’t work for Nigel, it won’t for Michael. The sooner he makes way for Heidfeld, the way the former did for Blundell the better.
W125, W196, …W01. Stay tuned.
I just read a good article at Scarbsf1′s Blog which explains well the technical challenges Mercedes are dealing with to get their car to work.
http://scarbsf1.wordpress.com/2010/04/28/mercedes-mgp-w01-spanish-update-predictions/
I’m prepared to wait more races before I make a conclusive judgement on Schumacher’s comeback. I’m hoping he turns it around mostly because it makes for an interesting story and also because it makes the championship more exciting.
From a PR point of view I wish Mercedes would deal with this situation differently. I find it so cringe making watching Norbert Haug pretend there is no problem whilst he is obviously so visibly cut up about it. He’s trapped in a corporate straight jacket maybe. Also Michael seems to be in a sort of trance in his interviews which I find disturbing.