“Michael failed at Mercedes”, that is the view of Willi Weber, who managed Michael Schumacher for the entirety of his Formula 1 career. Weber believes the 7 times World Champion struggled on his F1 comeback due to the nature of the newer cars. Schumacher retired in 2012 after a comeback that wasn’t very successful.
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Michael Schumacher and his struggles at Mercedes
When Michael Schumacher announced his F1 return in 2010, it seemed like the king had returned to reclaim his lost crown. Title number eighth looked closer than ever and Michael was itching to stand on the top step of the podium once again. A German driver driving for a very familiar German team that Ross Brawn spearheaded. Many expected Schumacher to pick up where he left off but it never came to pass.
Sadly, Michel’s younger and less experienced teammate beat him in all aspects over the course of his time at Mercedes. While some pin the blame on Michael’s age, many believe the car was the main reason for Schumacher’s poor form. The Mercedes from 10 years ago was nowhere near the powerhouse that it is today.
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Motorsports: FIA Formula One World Championship 2012, Grand Prix of Brazil, #7 Michael Schumacher (GER, Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team), #8 Nico Rosberg (GER, Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team), *** Local Caption *** +++ www.hoch-zwei.net +++ copyright: HOCH ZWEI +++
The early models of the German team weren’t particularly competitive but Michael really struggled to unlock the car’s true potential. Recently, Former Ferrari engineer John Barnard revealed that Michael’s struggles at Mercedes were partly due to the car setup. According to the Briton, the Mercedes car setup wasn’t suited to Schumacher’s driving style and was part of a different generation.
Now, Schumacher’s long time manager Willi Webber opened up on the German’s final years at Mercedes. Weber also feels Michael struggled at Mercedes mainly due to the car. Speaking to the Kolner Express, Weber said:
“It was a different technology and driver generation,”
“Michael couldn’t compensate for it, even though he was as fit as ever. ”
“Michael failed at Mercedes. If only he had listened to me this time. He tried everything and made the car faster together with Rosberg so that Mercedes could become a world champion so often. But it was still as unnecessary as a goiter. “
However, Weber concluded by admitting that the 7 times Champions was still the greatest in F1.
“Michael is and remains the best Formula 1 driver in the world.
