The rumour mill has been churning all week, the F1 forums have been buzzing and talking of nothing else, even F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone made his feeling clear, that he thought he was too old and not physically fit enough to cope with the strains grand prix racing can do to the body.However, after all the talk and theories of who could replace the vacant seat at Ferrari it has this evening been confirmed by the Italian team that seven time world champion Michael Schumacher will be making a return to F1 at the European Grand Prix in Valencia next month.
40-year-old Schumacher will stand in for the injured Felipe Massa, who today left intensive care and continues his recovery after sustaining a fractured skull at the Hungarian grand prix weekend last Saturday.
A huge question on many minds will be can Schumacher, who is arguably one of the greatest drivers to ever take part in the sport, make a success of his return when the sport has seen so many technical changes in recent years?
It has been three years since Schumacher drove a competitive race in F1, his last bow before retirement came at Interlagos, Brazil where he finished a disappointing 4th losing out on another world title to Fernando Alonso by 13pts. Many belived at the time that the tourch had been past.
This season will bring no world titles for Schumacher as he only has a maximum of seven races before the end of the season and Massa's certain return for 2010, but the German does have an opportunity to improve on his already impressive win and points ratio that makes him stand out as the most successful F1 driver.
This includes 91 wins (72 for Ferrari), 154 podiums, 1,369 points, 68 pole positions and 76 fastest laps.
The German driver who made his F1 debut for Jordan at the Belgium grand prix in 1991 secured five consecutive drivers world championships in the Ferrari between 2000 and 2004 and two for Benetton in 94/95, his 249th career race will be contested at the Spanish street circuit at the end of August.
For many F1 fans this will be a dream come true and a move many could not have imagined. I personally am looking forward to seeing what sort of effect Schumacher will have on deciding the 2009 world championship.
With the Ferrari's fast improving and boasting podium finishes in the last two races and the Brawn GP's early season dominance fizzling into only bagging one or two points a race, it could make this years world title climax one of the most exciting yet.
Don't forget that a few weeks ago Schumacher was rumoured to be joining Ross Brawn and the GP team as an advisor for next season, something he denied when questioned by the BBC. Any moves that had been in the pipline will obviously now have been put on ice while the German gets ready to make the grid for Ferrari once again, but I wonder if the welcome would be so warm if Schumacher performances split those of Brawn and Red Bull who chase this seasons drivers and constructors championships.
The other exciting aspect I am looking forward to is seeing a new generation of driver up against an old master. In previous posts I had likened the performances of fellow countryman Sebastian Vettel in the wet as Schumacher-esc (A new master in the wet!!!). Well if we have a wet grand prix in the next months (I predict Spa-Belgium) then we really will get to see who the true master of the wet really is.
Schumacher is also likely to get another chance to race at Monza and the Italian grand prix (the home of Ferrari) where the German driver has dominated in past years with five victories already to his name earning himself a sepcial place in the heart of every Italian race fan. The tifosi really would be overjoyed if he could deliver a sixth.
And lets not forget Lewis Hamilton's words in his 2007 autobiography that he regretted not getting the opportunity to race against Michael Schumacher. Well now the young world champion has his chance! As the count-down to Valencia begins and with a dominant win in Hungary under his belt re-igniting his and McLaren's poor season who could resist a Hamilton v Schumacher battle. .
Will Schumi be making is trade-mark leap of victory in 2009?
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Images from f1fanatic.com, bbc.co.uk and Getty
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