F1: Schumacher Ousted To Make Way For Hamilton

Formula 1

F1: Schumacher Ousted To Make Way For Hamilton

Michael Schumacher will leave Mercedes after three seasons as Lewis Hamilton takes his seat...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted September 28, 2012 Balen (BEL)

Michael Schumacher joined Mercedes in 2010. (Photo: Getty Images)

The announcement about Lewis Hamilton’s move to Mercedes gave no insight at all into how things unfolded with Michael Schumacher – and there is no mention either of retirement plans or a future role with the company.

The only conclusion that can be drawn is that Schumacher was shown the door – and that possibly the very future of the team depended upon Hamilton’s arrival, with the Mercedes board threatening to pull out.

The fact that F1 legend Niki Lauda has been announced as a non-executive chairman of the team suggests that there is no room for Schumacher in any kind of management role.

It has to be assumed that Schumacher is keen to carry on somewhere else, and he has been linked to Sauber – although an Esteban Gutierrez/Jaime Alguersuari lineup is being mooted for the Swiss team.

In a Mercedes team release, Schumacher said only: “I have had three nice years with the team which unfortunately did not go as well as we all would have wanted on the sporting side. I wish Lewis well and for the team to achieve the success we worked so hard for in the build-up. I would like to thank the team for their trust and all the guys for their unconditional commitment. I will now concentrate on the next races.”

Meanwhile, the management chose its words very carefully.

“I would first of all like to thank Michael Schumacher for the important contribution he has made to the growth of our team over the past three seasons,” said team boss Ross Brawn. “His energy and commitment have never wavered, even when results have not matched our own expectations, and we are determined to finish the 2012 season together on a high. As always, it has been a pleasure to work with Michael.”

“Of course, it takes a great driver to replace such a legendary and successful one as Michael Schumacher,” said Mercedes official Norbert Haug. “Over the past three years, Michael has been a great driver and an exemplary ambassador for Mercedes AMG Petronas.

“His experience has been an important factor in guiding the development of our team in Brackley, and we extend our sincere thanks to Michael for his loyalty, team play and commitment. We will be working very hard together in order to achieve the best possible results in the remainder of the 2012 season.”

Adam Cooper notched up his 27th season as a racing journalist in 2011. He has written about F1 for SPEED.com since 2005. Follow him on Twitter.