Quote from Greboth :

So what that he turns up in a Merc? Name one executive saloon that Ferrari have made? If he wants a car to just drive around in comfort ofcourse he will drive another car. Maybe he is joining Mercedes, maybe not but either way I would say him getting out of a Merc is pure coincidence to the situation.

Nope, that isn't the case. He drives a Fiat usually, which of course owns Ferrari.

Though he is free to drive what he wants as a free man, I don't think someone employed by Ferrari for the next 3 years to represent, and help develop their road car program would get caught driving else than the red cars... especially one of their MAIN RIVALS cars...

Maserati do an executive saloon anyway. Quatroporte

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/80623

Would be cool if he gets back into F1 although it won't be very easy for him.

His last race was in October 2006 and he'll need some time before he'll be back for wins I think

Quote from Timo1992 :

His last race was in October 2006 and he'll need some time before he'll be back for wins I think

If the car is good he will win straight away, if it's bad it might take him at least 2 races.

Quote from ATC Quicksilver :

If the car is good he will win straight away, if it's bad it might take him at least 2 races.

lol

Quote from Timo1992 :

Would be cool if he gets back into F1 although it won't be very easy for him.

His last race was in October 2006 and he'll need some time before he'll be back for wins I think

The only thing that'll be stopping him from getting back into a Formula One car will be his neck.

As for him not winning races; He won Massa's karting event the other week, Won the ROC nations cup with Vettel after the F1 season finished.

Quote from wild :

The only thing that'll be stopping him from getting back into a Formula One car will be his neck.

As for him not winning races; He won Massa's karting event the other week, Won the ROC nations cup with Vettel after the F1 season finished.

Up against the best real karters in Las Vegas however he wasn't so dominant. Qualified 20th and finished 7th which was partly due to luck (quite a few in front had mechanical problems or just retired. He was also given a lot of room for some reason ). He finished behind all the pro karters either way. Most of the field was mad up of non-pros. But he did VERY well considering... and I mean very well. But he won Massa's karting event mainly because he's one of the most well practised 'car drivers' at karting. He's out in a kart a lot more than most.

However, watchin him, it was clear he still had a huge desire to race. And I am convinced he could win again in F1.

His neck? If his neck was SUCH a problem why would he race 100mph karts round a car park in America? That just doesn't correlate. The chances of crashing and having a biggy are quite high at these types of events. WHy would he put his so called bad neck at such a high risk?

ffs Alan g-forces in a kart don't correlate to g-forces in an F1, and THAT is where problem lies! He was testing karts when he tested the F1 car and still came the conclusion that his neck was giving him grief. It's like having a broken elbow, sure you might be able to still use your right hand to jack off with, but can you really throw a ball?

Quote from BlueFlame :

ffs Alan g-forces in a kart don't correlate to g-forces in an F1, and THAT is where problem lies! He was testing karts when he tested the F1 car and still came the conclusion that his neck was giving him grief. It's like having a broken elbow, sure you might be able to still use your right hand to jack off with, but can you really throw a ball?

Didn't say they did, I was saying why risk racing some of the fastest karts on earth round a car park in Las Vegas for four days. A small shunt could easily **** his neck up. He planned to do the race quite a while back so if his neck was such an issue why risk it. I watched him and he didn't look very risk averse to me.

I can't exclude his neck being the issue, but the F60 was notoriously tricky to drive and I believe Schumacher would have respected Badoer's input. Also how do we know the Mercedes deal wasn't on the table a loooong time ago?

Quote from Intrepid :

Didn't say they did, I was saying why risk racing some of the fastest karts on earth round a car park in Las Vegas for four days. A small shunt could easily **** his neck up. He planned to do the race quite a while back so if his neck was such an issue why risk it. I watched him and he didn't look very risk averse to me.

I can't exclude his neck being the issue, but the F60 was notoriously tricky to drive and I believe Schumacher would have respected Badoer's input. Also how do we know the Mercedes deal wasn't on the table a loooong time ago?

Having a shunt in a kart would definately give you hell of a whip lash, but the guys he's racing with are supposed to be pros, and you said yourself that people were giving him extra room on track

If his neck was at such a high risk, he would atleast have worn a Neck brace or something similar to a Leatt Brace.

Quote from Vinnylegends :

If his neck was at such a high risk, he would atleast have worn a Neck brace or something similar to a Leatt Brace.

Why would a neck brace do anything? Jury is still out on the Leatt, but foam braces are NOT safety devices, far from it.

Quote from Intrepid :

Why would a neck brace do anything? Jury is still out on the Leatt, but foam braces are NOT safety devices, far from it.

It would take some of the stress away from his neck muscles.

Not in a crash it won't

Quote from spiderbait90 :

It would take some of the stress away from his neck muscles.

thus making it more vulnerable in the eventuality of a crash. If the neck muscles aren't put to use, the neck itself will easily give in to the G-Force.
I think here, you can see that he'd be better off with a sore neck rather than a broken one. With that written, all he can do is either heal it naturally or/and make neck muscle stretching exercises.

Whatever problem it is with the sort of money being thrown at him you could fix it, you can fix bad backs etc with lasers now, hulk hogan had it done.

Well, the neck is never going to go out of its normal range of movement with the HANS system anyway. A neck brace is an item he could use to make it easier to keep his head upright, and stop pain caused by the HANS digging into the shoulders by having a head leaning on it constantly, although obviously off the track he would be doing neck excersises.

It is claimed that it is all down to his neck. If his neck isn't 100% perfect, he probably won't want to race, anyway.

Quote from pearcy_2k7 :

you can fix bad backs etc with lasers now, hulk hogan had it done.

I think he underwent 3 surgeries on his back after that in order to help him come back to the wrestling ring in time for his tour, and he still isn't what he was before. Back on topic, is there a laser surgery for necks now?

Quote from Senninha25 :

I think he underwent 3 surgeries on his back after that in order to help him come back to the wrestling ring in time for his tour, and he still isn't what he was before.

He is absolutely awful, he can barely move.

"Michael Schumacher will race for Mercedes in 2010, BBC Sport understands"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport

Quote from J@tko :

"Michael Schumacher will race for Mercedes in 2010, BBC Sport understands"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport

Michael Schumacher signs up for F1 return with Mercedes.

Just think, if Barachello stayed, it would of been the first time that two drivers have been team mates in two different teams.

Quote from Dygear :

Just think, if Barachello stayed, it would of been the first time that two drivers have been team mates in two different teams.

Wrong, you're forgetting Patrese and Piquet who partnered at Brabham AND Williams.

Quote from BlueFlame :

AND Williams.

For one race.

Anyway, we're forgetting the rather suprising news (to me at least, I wasn't expecting it to happen.)

Quote from 5haz :

For one race.

Anyway, we're forgetting the rather suprising news (to me at least, I wasn't expecting it to happen.)

Still, Patrese and Piquet were at one point full timers for Brabham and Williams, maybe not together, but they raced together in the same team. So it still counts. And if you class test drivers aswell, there is a hell of a lot of repeat pairings. Anthony Davidson and Sato to name just one.