Under the rules, he won't be able to do any testing until first practice of Valencia weekend.
He's never driven the Valencia circuit ever, so how does he prepare for it in one day before qualifying? I heard Button saying it only takes a few laps to get to know the track?
This can't be true though can it? Takes me about 300 laps!
Schumacher will probably be driving the F2008 on slicks with 2009 aero levels to get back up to speed. Only difference is the KERS system, the guy is a 7 time champion, it won't take him long. What Button said about learning the track is probably true, these guys have years of racing experience.
Being a street circuit, even without the stupid testing ban, drivers don't get much time to learn the circuit at Valencia, so the playing field is relatively more level than at other circuits such as Barcalona.
Indeed every team will have a 2 week break where the whole factory will be shut down in the next 4 weeks, Hence why I suggested we may see him in rFactor in the F60 driving around Valencia :P
Ferrari has a simulator. Schumacher will be simming it up.
As for learning the track, I think Button meant learning which way the corners go. It would take more than a few laps to find the limits, but not 300! More like perhaps 20 laps to get a pretty good grasp of the track, and that's for "normal" drivers (just speaking for myself). F1 drivers could probably do with less.
In schumacher's first GP (1991 GP of Belgium) he couldn't do much testing for some reason... he took his bike back then and took some laps around the track... actually this is something he could do there every day^^
By the way: NEW RECORD: SIX GERMANS IN THE FORMULA ONE GRID!... hope this is not some bad fortune stuff about radical forces trying to overtake everything...
He won't be aloud to drive a 2009 car, but as far as im aware there is nothing stopping him driving a 2008 car on slick tyres. It won't be the same but its better than coming in cold.
omg i just realised.
If Alonso is allowed to race in Valencia, we will have FOUR champions on the grid in one race. when was the last time we have four champions on the grid?!
Totally agree.. Schumacher is 40 (!) years old, and has been out of competition for 3 years now. On top of that, nowadays cars are quite different from the cars he used to drive... Obviously people expect a lot from a 7 time world champion, but in my opinion he would already deserve massive respect if he would be anywhere near Kimi's pace!
Unless he owns his own personal F2008 & support team, and/or his own personal F60 simulator, he's not going to be able to get any practise in. We're all packing up and going home for two weeks.