Schumacher, 40, retired after the 2006 season and after winning five of his world titles with Ferrari, where he remains a consultant. It wasn't clear whether Schumacher was interested -- overseas news agencies quoted one of his representatives as saying he was, while his manager said he wasn't -- or whether Ferrari even would offer him the job. "In these circumstances he would want to consider it and not categorically say no," Schumacher spokeswoman Sabine Kehm told Reuters. But if the German did step back into the car, he would do so just as reigning Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton of McLaren Mercedes and 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen, Massa's teammate at Ferrari, are emerging from terrible early-season slumps. Ferrari has time to make a decision because the next race, in Valencia, Spain, is Aug. 23. But Massa is expected to be out for most, if not all, of the rest of the season. Hamilton, who captured the title last year by a single point over Massa, won the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday for his first victory of the season. Raikkonen placed second, his best showing of the season as well. Indeed, it appears McLaren and Ferrari -- which had dominated Formula One in recent years -- are catching up with the Brawn GP and Red Bull teams earlier than some observers expected. Brawn, the former Honda Racing team, and Red Bull had been also-rans in recent years. But they shocked the sport this season by winning the first nine races after developing race cars that took better advantage of the series' new design regulations than those built by McLaren, Ferrari, BMW Sauber and other teams. Brawn's Jenson Button won six of the first seven races. Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel is a two-time winner and his teammate, Mark Webber, won the German Grand Prix. As a result, Button leads the Formula One championship standings with 70 points over Webber's 51.5. Vettel is third with 47. Hamilton is eighth with only 19 and Raikkonen ninth with 18. But even if the championship is beyond reach, Hamilton said his team believed it could win again this year. "It's an incredible feeling to be back here after what feels such a long time away," Hamilton said after his victory in Hungary. "We have made some serious improvements to the car. It is important that we just continue to push." Massa, meanwhile, continued to make progress in a Budapest hospital, where he was rushed Saturday after suffering head injuries when a loose part -- which Formula One said was a spring from the car of Rubens Barrichello -- struck Massa's helmet. Doctors said the 28-year-old Brazilian driver was increasingly alert and answering questions in three languages, and that he might be released from the hospital in a week to 10 days, the Associated Press reported. Speaking of missing Valencia, Formula One officials said Spaniard Fernando Alonso, a two-time champion, and his Renault teammate Nelson Piquet cannot race there as a penalty for a mishap that occurred in Hungary. Alonso's crew failed to attach the front right wheel during a pit stop and it came loose and bounced away after his car returned to the track, which race stewards ruled amounted to negligence on Renault's part. (Imagine how many cars wouldn't make the next race if that rule existed in NASCAR.) Renault plans to appeal but, if it loses, Alonso would miss one of the two Formula One races held each year in his home country. james.peltz@latimes.com
Click
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment