Michael Schumacher to drive for Mercedes GP – Officially official

Michael Schumacher return to F1 is official

Michael Schumacher has now signed a deal worth €7 million to drive for Mercedes GP in 2010.

Update: We now have both Michael Schumacher’s personal statement on joining Mercedes GP and the Official Press Release for Schumacher joins Mercedes GP.

We reported a couple of weeks ago that the deal had been done for Michael Schumacher to make a return to F1 driving for the new Mercedes GP team in 2010. Well, it now seems as if the deal is not only done, but signed for a reported €7 million according to the Beeb.

Once Michael got the sniff of a return to F1 after the almost-drive with Ferrari earlier this year, it always looked as if it would be a question of when, rather than if, he would take on the challenge of returning to pit himself against a new generation of drivers. And Mercedes GP have offered him a credible way back.

There has been much talk about him being too old at 41 (in January) to be competitive, which is rubbish. There are plenty of precedents for F1 drivers to make a comeback – and a successful one at that – at such an advanced age. Even that ham-actor Nigel Mansell (who always managed to contrive to look on the verge of collapse after every drive) had huge success in F1 at a similar age, and subsequently showed the Americans how to drive in IndyCar, becoming world champion whilst still holding the F1 title. And, good as Nigel was, Michael is probably a level above.

It’s going to be a very interesting 2010 F1 season with two world champions in Button and Hamilton at McLaren and Michael Schumacher in the Silver Arrow for Mercedes, back with Ross Brawn who has guided him to every world championship.

Bring it on.