12/11/2006
NEWS STORY
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In the XTC song, Making Plans For Nigel, the young man; "has his future in British Steel". It's been planned by loving parents, who, so we are told, only want him to be happy.
Sadly, like almost all British industry, British Steel is no more. Having been privatised by Margaret Thatcher's government in 1988, it merged with the Dutch steel producer Koninklijke Hoogovens in 1999 to form Corus. There is now widespread speculation that Corus will be swallowed up by Mittal Steel. Poor old Nigel.
Michael Schumacher, on the other hand doesn't need his father's help in planning his future, he is master of his own destiny.
Then again, what exactly does a seven-time World Champion do once he's hung up his helmet, after all, he's only 38 in January, and as we saw at Interlagos, he's hardly over the hill.
There are many who believe he will return to racing, possibly even F1, with some claiming that the German could occasionally carry out testing duties for Ferrari next season.
According to one well-placed source, Michael, hard to believe, but true, was already beginning to tire of the constant need to remain at peak fitness. Although he remains one of the fittest men in the sport, trying to maintain that fitness, as the years go by, and the opposition gets younger, puts an enormous strain on the man. The fact is, Schumacher is not only concerned that he would be unable to maintain the fitness required, he was getting tired of the whole regime.
Make no mistake, Michael will never tire of racing, it's in his blood, but he was tired of having to maintain such an extraordinary degree of fitness.
At the recent Ferrari World Finals at Monza, it was unclear, right up until the last possible moment, what sort of announcement the Maranello outfit was going to make regarding the German's future.
The Italian team was keen to announce Michael's future plans. Michael, however, still wasn't sure what role he wanted to play - if anything. The announcement was on-off on-off throughout the week between Brazil and Monza and even though was nothing was decided, an announcement was still made. 'We would like Michael to become assistant to the new CEO, Jean Todt, in making decisions' was the gist of it, though what exactly is meant by "assistant" remains ambiguous.
Note the first three words: "we would like". That's what Ferrari would like but it's not necessarily what Michael would like. The source is adamant that Michael really, really wants to leave all this behind for a while. He doesn't want to jump straight back into Grand Prix racing - would you, after 16 years of pressure, hassle and scarcely a moment's privacy?
Ferrari might be on the verge of a new golden era, then again, it might be about to head back into the F1 wilderness once again - remember those many years of non-achievement between 1979 and 1995? Michael was a massive part of the team that brought glory back to Maranello over the last ten years. However, his time as a (Formula One) driver is at an end and are we to believe that he can really serve a useful, and mutually rewarding, purpose as an 'assistant', to Jean Todt or anyone else?
Furthermore, as the team looks to the future, will Kimi and Felipe really want the seven-time champion looking over their shoulders? His presence could cause more problems than it solves.
The next few months will be fairly easy, however, as the start of the new season approaches, that's when Michael will really feel the hunger pangs, or maybe not, depending on how he is adjusting to his new life. As the 'circus' heads off to Australia, the media is sure to seek him out, asking his (valued) opinion of who's hot, who's not. If Michael is determined about retirement there will be no problem, however, if he isn't, this would exert enormous pressure, much like blowing smoke in the face of someone who has given up, offering a drink to someone who is 'on the wagon'.
According to our source, Michael wants to be a regular guy, an ordinary Joe. Though, quite how "regular" or "ordinary" one can be, when one's face has been plastered all over newspapers, magazines, websites and TV screens for almost sixteen years - never mind the squillions in the bank - remains to be seen. Yet that, apparently, is Michael's desire, to lead an ordinary life, indeed, the exact expression our source used is that Michael wants to "uninvent himself".
Ironically, Michael will probably be busier now than ever, after all, he can no longer claim that he's "working this weekend". Consequently, there will be even more demand on his time, after all, what else has he got to do?
Then again, considering that there are sponsorship deals in place that will see him earning almost in 2007 as much as when he was racing, it is only right that he does something for the dough, but what?
Formula One really doesn't seem to be the answer. Other than the fitness, where would Michael go, does he really want to start all over again, at 38, besides which, what does he have to prove?
He came to F1 from Sports Cars and that would seem the most likely solution, after all, he could enjoy a few more years in endurance racing, and the physical demands would not be as great as F1.
One wit has even suggested that Michael could return to his great love, Karting. Ironically, three-time World Champion, Davide Fore - just five years younger than Michael, and for whom the German has great respect - has recently left Tonykart to move to Maranello Kart, a brand constructed by Tonykart's big Italian rivals CRG. Is it possible that Michael could return to his real racing roots, would he love to do a bit of karting, replacing Fore at Tonykart and just race for fun?
Formula One drivers are highly competitive people, and that spirit of competition lives on in many of them. Look back to the seventies and you find three Ferrari Formula One drivers who quit and became very successful in other fields. Niki Lauda established his airline, Carlos Reutemann became a politician, and Jody Scheckter, having built up and sold a company building simulation equipment for firearms training, has since become a successful organic farmer.
Could Michael go into business? We genuinely don't think he knows. He has had many offers, everyone wants a part of him still. However, he knows, too well, that what people really want is not his acumen nor his talent, but his name and everything that goes with it.
It's well documented, even though he shuns the publicity, that Michael is a charitable man, having given millions to various causes. This desire to help the less privileged, the less fortunate could open up new avenues. It is a fact that famous names and faces are extremely effective when it comes to raising public awareness, and more importantly, money. An ambassadorial roll with one of the leading global charitable concerns could be beneficial for all concerned, and might finally silence some of those who still perceive the German as the anti-Christ.
Indeed, Max Mosley, who in addition to road safety, is now championing 'green issues', would be well advised to get Michael on board, rather than waste his time dressing up in Ferrari overalls and 'assisting' Jean Todt. Those who might not listen to, or even have heard of, Max Mosley, would probably pay far more attention to the seven-time champion.
Formula One has survived the loss of great drivers, it has survived the loss of great teams. Though Michael Schumacher's is the one name that many new F1 fans are aware of, the sport will continue, as it always has.
For once, a rarity in what used to be the most brutal of sports, a champion has retired at the very top - has turned his back on F1, rather than the other way around.
We don't want to see Michael standing on the pitwall, pretending to look busy with the stopwatch, nor do we want to see him adopting a Pete Aaron role with an F1 broadcaster.
A serious assault on Le Mans would be cool, as would an ambassadorial roll with the FIA Foundation or the United Nations.
But most of all, let Michael do what he wants to do, and if that means uninventing himself and becoming a regular guy, so be it. He's worked for it.