Schumacher Jr: Michael back for a while, but I'm not looking
Ralf Schumacher insists that his elder brother is back in Formula One for the long haul - but insists that his own career remains focused on the DTM despite apparent interest from potential newcomers to the top flight.
Speaking to 422race.com, the German admitted that seven-time world champion brother Michael had struggled to re-adjust to life in the fast lane after three years on the sidelines but, with changes to Mercedes' WO1 chassis from the start of the European season, was beginning to rediscover his form.
"He had a slightly difficult start but, lately, it looks a lot better," Ralf noted, "I'm pretty sure that, with the new package introduced in Barcelona, he's started to perform a lot better.
"The cars have changed [since he retired], but Michael hasn't been in a car for a while, so I think it there are two things. First of all, his driving style had to be changed a bit and, secondly, the car had to be changed towards him. Looking at the results, the new package seems to fit him much better. I think he's pretty happy with what he's doing and, as far as I know, it's a three-year plan, so I'm sure we'll see him around for a while."
Asked about his own future, Schumacher Jr insisted that he had no plans to return to F1, despite having been linked to a number of new teams entering, or hoping to enter, the top flight. The biggest rumour of all had the 34-year old among the favourites to lead the nascent Stefan GP squad, but Schumacher insists that that was never likely, despite being listed among the candidates on the team's own website.
"They were just rumours," he claimed, "I met [team owner] Zoran [Stefanovic] just once, he's a nice guy, but that's it. I would come back to F1 if I had an offer from a good, strong team, but I'm not interested in coming back to be in the back of the field. I'm pretty happy in DTM, but, if something comes across and somebody asks me, I would think about it. However, at the moment, I'm not working on it."
As well as his commitment to Mercedes in the DTM, Schumacher has also branched out into team ownership, having taken a shared role in leading the RSC Mucke Motorsport team in the new GP3 Series.
"It's beautiful," he said of the experience of being on the other side of the pitwall, "It's completely new and different for me, but I always had the dream one day to be involved in the managerial aspects [of motorsport]. In a series like this, on the F1 bill and with young drivers, it is a great experience and a wonderful opportunity."
