Whilst I can see Kyle's point, I agree with Max. For the last couple of seasons, Mercedes have been able to afford a marketing tool, talent has been largely irrelevant. The performance gap to Red Bull/Mclaren/Ferrari in front, and to the midfield behind, has been so large that any shortcomings in driving are more than compensated for by the car. Whoever was driving the Merc over the last couple of seasons just needed to use the pace in the car to secure a decent quali slot, keep the car out of trouble in the race, and be pretty much guaranteed the 7th or 8th place finishes that the Merc was capable of. If Maldonaldo was in the Merc, I don't believe his points total would have been much lower than Schumacher or Rosberg. With this in mind, you can effectively say the driver was irrelevant to the constructors finish achieved by Mercedes, and if Schumacher brings significant revenue and car sales from having his name associated with Mercedes, it makes sense. A cynic could even argue it is desirable for Mercedes to maintain their current performance gaps if possible. That way it's difficult for Rosberg, or anyone else in that seat, to out-point Schumacher significantly (which would lead to bad press about Schumacher and calls for his replacement) with driving talent alone. That would give Mercedes as many seasons as possible to milk the Schumacher name for as much as they can before he decides to retire again. (Apologies to EMSC if he reads that and combusts)
But my point was that this isn't about Mercedes as an F1 team but Mercedes as a global luxury brand. As fans we think winning justifies the huge expense of competing and that is the true aim of it but the position of Mercedes as an industry is likely to be different: first and foremost they want to sell more cars. They don't need to be the fastest in a way that would benefit Ferrari but they do have the biggest, most successful name in the sport and it's a German name to boot. Schumi is like the Rolling Stones of Formula One: he's done nothing special for years but remains hugely marketable. And for him, he gets to trade on past glories and keep doing what he loves most at the highest level. Again, apologies to EMSC: no offence meant. Finally, this is still just a rumour, isn't it?
I'm not convinced that Merc would see Schuey only as just a marketing tool and only hire him to sell vehicles. Yes he's massive in the sport, but what percentage of the Merc buying population would buy a Merc simply because Micheal Schumacher drives for them vs buying one because they are current champions? Given some of the press he's had, both over his comeback, his past misadventures and the massive percentage of folk that still despise him, I'm struggling to see how he'd sell many Mercs or promote the brand that well. Brawn either still see's something in him or they're just trying to live the glory days one more time.
For what it's worth, while I am generally pro-Schumacher, I do agree that offering a 43-year-old a two year contract an entire season before the end of his current one would be crazy. I would say that even if he were the reigning WDC.
I don't think that he's only a marketing tool, I'm just trying to find an explanation for why he'd be offered a two-year extension following two years of mediocre performance; and something that hadn't already been suggested. I've no doubt that his technical input is considerable and clearly he works very well with Brawn. Back on the marketing theory, it's not about selling Mercs to F1 fans, the types like us who post on fora. It's aimed at the casual observer, people in new markets where he's the only name they know. Luxury brands are expanding now and that must mean outside Europe especially. Bernie said "Europe's finished" and he's moving F1 into new areas which are on the up and where Merc want to do business. With seven WDCs, no name says 'success' like Schumacher's. They don't need to be the fastest because that's not Merc's appeal anyway. I'm sure they have ambitions to be the best in F1 but in the mean time Schumi's name gets them a whole lot more attention than any other comparable team (Lotus, Force India); that is, it creates the illusion that they're up there with the big 3 teams, rather than lagging behind them.
If Schumacher gets a good car he can still win the title. No doubt about only idiots would disagree. The only driver who can win the title this season without having the best car is Alonso. Button or hamilton need the best car or they have no chance.
Your last para. is the bottom line Canary, in terms of the inter-team battle. The time is now to show what he has altogether after two years of moderate improvement.
Ross Brawn denies it. It would be a bit silly for Brawn to offer Schumacher a new contract so early. There are 3 contracts ending in the three top teams this year - Brawn should wait and see what else is happening before finalising his own driver line-up.
