Tainted former Renault chief Flavio Briatore finally got a chance to speak about something other than his match fixing allegations and Nelson Piquet Junior. Briatore stated on Monday that comeback man Michael Schumacher is the biggest threat to those looking for a World Title.
According to Briatore, the seven-time world champion Schumacher is making a comeback not just for the money or publicity, but for winning his record 8th title. He also said that Schumacher would not have made a comeback at all if he didn't believe he could win another title. In case you didn't already know, Flavio Briatore and Michael Schumacher were collaborators in Benetton fifteen years ago, when the latter won two successive world titles in 1994 and 1995.
Briatore said that if Schumi is given the right machinery, there is no stopping the German. And with what we've seen of Brawn GP (now Mercedes), their cars are the absolute fastest on the grid. Brawn won both the driver's and the constructor's crown in the 2009 season. "Knowing him, I think he's reflected on it for a long time, and if he's decided to come back it's because he's convinced he can still be quick," Briatore told Gazzetta dello Sport.
"The last season demonstrates this clearly, because the driver who's become World Champion is certainly not the best on the scene. I'm convinced that, had he been physically fit, he would have come back last season already with Ferrari. Michael belongs to that category of racing drivers who just can't have a normal life, who can't stay away from racing. And besides, I'll repeat an old idea of mine: when he quit three years ago, he wasn't ready to retire, he could have been competitive for two or three more seasons," added the Italian.
Briatore also stated that the Ferrari team would be strong next year with Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa at the wheels. "I'll just say that Ross [Brawn] knows him [Schumacher] well and that Mercedes has always chased him. But then I repeat: the car is fundamental," he added.
December 28, 2009
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