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Winless Schumacher Insists He’s Still in Running
Gordon Howard | April 15, 2010

Michael Schumacher’s return may have failed to live up to expectations so far, but fans in Shanghai are hoping the seven-time champ can get back on track in Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix. (AP Photo/Mark Baker) Michael Schumacher’s return may have failed to live up to expectations so far, but fans in Shanghai are hoping the seven-time champ can get back on track in Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
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Shanghai. Comeback kid Michael Schumacher arrived in Shanghai on Thursday full of confidence that he can win this year’s drivers’ championship even after making little impact in the first three races.

The seven-time champion, now 41, is still hunting his first win this season after returning to Formula One with the new Mercedes team.

Schumacher hopes his luck will change in Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix, but he knows his Mercedes car has not been a match so far for the speed of the Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren teams.

If it does not win, he expects the Mercedes outfit run by his long-time technical boss Ross Brawn to deliver the development required to put him back in the running.

“We have a lot of new things for the car for the next race, in Barcelona, and I believe that can help keep us there,” he said.

Schumacher also agreed with two-time champion Fernando Alonso’s assessment it was too early to write off the German as a title contender.

“If you take the points system, you see that Fernando, he had a retirement in Malaysia and for whatever reason it can happen to all of us,” he said. “I had mine in Malaysia, too, and at one point of the season it will hit the guys fighting for the championship.

“So if we have a quick enough development speed, there is no reason why we cannot fight for the championship, too. It is such a long season ahead of us, it is so early, and we know how quick the rate of development is.”

He said he was not disappointed by his results, despite failing to match the high expectations placed on him. So far, his best result has been a sixth-place finish in Bahrain.

“In terms of results, they were not as great as some people expected, and even myself I would have loved to have better results, but the competition is high,” he said.

Earlier, Alonso said he retained the same respect for Schumacher he had always felt.

“He is still the Michael Schumacher that we know. I respect him in the same way I did three years ago and am sure that he will show his true qualities when the car is better,” the Spaniard said. “I really believe Michael will be a serious competitor for the title this year.”



Agence France-Presse