Michael Schumacher was told F1 comeback 'totally pointless'

Lewis Hamilton is struggling mightily to recreate himself as a 40-year-old F1 driver, treading a path once followed by fellow legend of the sport Michael Schumacher.

Hamilton’s blockbusting move to Ferrari appeared to be a marriage made in motorsport heaven when it was confirmed last year, but so far it is turning into more of a nightmare for the seven-time world champion.

Lewis has so far found it difficult to get to grips with Ferrari’s S-25 car and hit rock bottom last weekend when he was drubbed by team-mate Charles Leclerc at the Saudi Grand Prix.

Hamilton (seventh) finished more than 30 seconds behind third-placed Leclerc in a 50-lap race in Jeddah, after which he seemed completely lost and embarrassed in TV interviews.

Michael Schumacher's F1 comeback at Mercedes

Maybe this is short-term pain for Hamilton, or maybe it is a hint that F1 is really a young man’s game. It is a grim truth which even the great Schumacher once realised.

Michael had been out of the sport for three years after ending his glorious run at Ferrari in 2006, when Mercedes tempted him out of retirement in 2010.

The three years which followed saw Schumacher struggle to reclaim past glories, as he failed to win a title or even a race in a team which was still battling to hit top gear in F1.

One close confidante of Schumacher, former F1 team principal Franz Tost, has recounted the story of that comeback. He also revealed that he had told Michael beforehand he would have little chance of success.

Comeback 'totally pointless'

Speaking to German outlet Sport1, he said: “Michael's comeback was totally pointless. I discussed it with Michael at a dinner shortly before his return. I said to him: Your time is over. The following dialogue ensued. I asked him: ‘What do you expect?’

“He said: ‘I want to win races and become world champion again.’ I told him: ‘You can forget that. Formula 1 is a completely different sport today'.”

Tost says it was a combination of factors which meant Schumacher was taking on an impossible task when he returned with Mercedes. New regulations, along with the passage of time.

He says he told the Ferrari legend: “When you left Ferrari, you could still test willy-nilly. You had your own tyre manufacturer, Bridgestone, who did everything for you. If you had understeer, for example, you tested a tyre until the problem was solved.

"Today you have one-size-fits-all tyres and only seven test days, half of which are for you and the rest for Rosberg. Forget it.

“But the crucial thing: Your direct rivals are twenty years younger than you. Especially in Formula 1, the film runs out too quickly after a certain age. Then it's over." He accepted it without grumbling.”

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