Mercedes criticism

The appointment of Michael Schumacher is making waves – with some claiming that carmaker Mercedes has got its business priorities wrong.

German racing fans, on the other hand, appear to be delighted and Schumacher will be happy to know that – after three years in retirement – he even has the full support of his wife.

Mercedes secured the services of the 40-year-old German on Wednesday, in a one-year deal. The seven time drivers' champion is to earn around seven million euros ($10 million).

The move drew criticism from the Mercedes labor representatives in light of recession cost-cutting measures by brand owner Daimler.

"It's hard to put across to people," the chairman of Mercedes' Bremen works council, Uwe Werner, told the daily newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau.

"The Daimler board decrees, on the one hand, harsh austerity measures for the workforce, and has shifted some production to facilities in other countries. On the other hand it spends tens of millions on Formula One. It is incomprehensible to many workers."

Werner added that the company's cost cutting measures would have received more support if Mercedes had pulled out of Formula One altogether.

Deal "will sell cars"

The head of Mercedes motor sports, Norbert Haug, disagrees. He said that the company would make money as a result of Formula One and, in particular, signing the star driver.

"The whole issue will sell many cars and the caliber of the star will make a lot of people sit up and pay attention," said Haug.

The investment will not pay off for the company according to Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, an economics professor at the University of Duisburg-Essen who specializes in the car industry. He questions whether customers will buy a Mercedes based on the fact that the brand had a Formula One presence.

"You can hardly comprehend it. They will have to charge about 200 to 300 euros more for every car sold, to finance the Formula One campaign for Mercedes. Mercedes is a company for which sportiness is not the main selling point, it is instead based on safety and on quality on the road."

Rush on race tickets

Despite this, many German fans are euphoric at the news – with a rush on tickets for the race at Hockenheim next July. Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone hailed the news as "fantastic" and predicted a "jaw-dropping season."

"I think it is fantastic for Formula One that he turned into a comeback kid but at the same time I also think it's good for Michael," said Ecclestone.

"When drivers have put in many years they sometimes lose focus and motivation – probably that was one of the reasons for his retirement in 2006 – but now he has again put all his strength together and has a 100 percent motivation level and that will give us many exciting races in 2010. Forget about winning races – I have him on my bill for winning the championship."

And Schumacher himself said he was confident of his abilities.

"Obviously our only goal can be to fight for the world championship," he told Berlin daily Der Tagesspiegel. He said he has "no doubt" about his skills behind the wheel. "I never stopped my physical training," he said.

Support from home

Schumacher can count on the full support of his wife of 14 years Corinna.

"He knows exactly what he is doing and he knows that I am always behind him," she said. "He needs his challenges; that's just Michael. I understand it and I think it's really great."

She acknowledged that family life would be turned upside down, but said that when her husband told her of the call he had from his former and new team boss Ross Brawn "I immediately sensed that there was this fire burning inside him that I know so well."

Schumacher had already tried to re-enter the sport this year, standing in for injured Brazilian Felipe Massa for his former employer, Ferrari. But a motorcycle neck injury, from which Schumacher says he has recovered, cut short any comeback attempt.

rc/SID/AFP/Reuters
Editor: Chuck Penfold