Even though Michael Schumacher is arguably the greatest F1 driver of all time, he too had his moments of struggle. Former Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg has revealed that his German compatriot had a tough time with the Silver Arrows after he made his return to F1. Since DRS was new at the time, Rosberg believes that Schumacher took time to adjust to modern cars.
After retiring at the end of the 2006 season, Schumacher returned to F1 in 2010 with Mercedes. The German stated that he returned to the sport because of two different reasons. First, he wanted to fulfill his desire of racing for Mercedes and second, he wanted to reunite his partnership with Ross Brawn.
And as for Mercedes, they wanted Schumacher to help them return to the top. 2010 was the first year that the Silver Arrows returned to F1 as a constructor since 1955. Even though many believed that Schumacher was perhaps the perfect driver to help Mercedes become successful again, it was actually Rosberg that outperformed him on several occasions.
Nico Rosberg reveals the struggles Michael Schumacher had at Mercedes
While recently speaking on Sky Sports F1 (as quoted by mirror.co.uk) about Michael Schumacher’s struggles during their time at Mercedes, Nico Rosberg said, “He just had a bit more trouble adapting. For example, DRS was new to him at that time and he sometimes forgot that you go faster with DRS“.
Rosberg added that since Schumacher did not have any idea about the DRS, he also forgot to turn off the switch occasionally. Because of this, the seven-time world champion also had some “violent bumps“.
Rosberg was drawing parallels between Schumacher and Alonso
Nico Rosberg made these remarks about Michael Schumacher while heaping praise on 41-year-old Fernando Alonso. The German believes that Alonso is currently driving at a level that is “epic” and that he has no doubt that the Spaniard is “one of the greatest of all time” alongside the likes of Schumacher.
What impresses Rosberg the most is the fact that Alonso is delivering such outstanding performances despite turning 41. The 37-year-old now just hopes that the Aston Martin driver can claim his much-awaited 33rd career win.
As for Alonso, the Spaniard has stated on multiple occasions this season that he is delighted with the progress that Aston Martin is making. The 41-year-old, who has claimed five podiums this season out of the first seven races, is now hopeful that the team can produce him a car that can fight for wins.
And when it comes to the world championship, Alonso stated that he is hopeful that he can fight for it next year. Considering the staggering performance advantage that Red Bull currently has over their competitors, including Aston Martin, Alonso may need to wait longer before he can realistically fight for the title.
