Oh Michael...There Art Thou

All seems right in the Universe... Michael Schumacher in the center of the circle again. He never left, only watched from a VIP seat inside that circle. So, what's significant for him to return? Was there pressure (read $$) from Ecclestone & Todt and other unseen heavy hitters behind the scenes of F1? Well, one thing is for sure, we the public will NEVER be in on that... I think the popularity of his return must have garnered a lot of support amongst those heavy hitters - whoever they are. 10 million Euro salary? Ha! How about the percentage of ticket receipts and merchandise that his return will fuel? Once again, we the public will NEVER know. Oh well, they laugh at us - the unwashed masses - as we pour our hard-earned cash into their pockets...
Brawn, Age & Massa 
Does MS think he can become World Champion again? Do we? Do we hope he will be? Could he be Champion without the general public suspecting some kind of F1 conspiracy?
Well, first of all, the personality combination of Brawn and Schumacher is truly one-of-a-kind and rare. Rare in that the two operate truly as one unit. There is NO OTHER relationship like it in all of F1, period - at least of the ones we see. That relationship can and will make all the difference. These two men are from the old school where trust and relationship makes it all happen - as relationships go, this is paradigm.
The only factor I see that can be a liability in this equasion is Schumi's age. Will his body respond the same? Can he push it as far as his desire intends? Does the desire exist? My wife says Schumi just wants to race for racing sake; he just loves it like Eric Clapton loves playing the guitar. Unfortunatly, for athletes, the focus is too much on the result rather than the process itself...
Now Massa - Massa was Schumi's student. But as teacher student relationships go in the world of mythology, the student is supposed to break with the teacher, not the other way around. I think Schumi was  proud of his paternal impulses being given to Phillipe. After all, this is what men do at that stage of life. But Micheal has chosen another path. It's to be seen what will become of Massa. I'm wondering if he'll be racing at all at some point in the near future. With the accident last season and now this - somewhat of a betrayal before all Micheal's teachings could be passed on (see comments about Massa in my previous post)

One last comment: What keeps an athlete like Schumacher from being called an artist? To me the definition of artist is someone who puts their whole being into what they are doing. By that definition, he is one. Unfortunately the pleasure is perceived all in the winning and losing - or so we, the fans are led to believe.

Things Falling in the Right Place - or So it Seems

Whew, breathe a sigh of relief as things seem to be falling into place after a tumultuous year and a half in F1. One thing for sure, it has all the makings of the most exciting season in a decade. Here are some initial impressions I have for the upcoming season as Michael is back w/Ross, Alonso at Ferrari, Hamilton at McLaren, Todt in, USF1 in, Kimi rallying, Mosley out, Briatore out, Dennis out, Toyota out, BMW & Renault not quite out, and Kubica... who knows for now - probably will be in but I'm predicting that he is the taking on the role of "in the wrong car at the wrong time" syndrome. 

"2 Kings, 2 Princes, some Half-Princes, and a Knight"

 WHO I'M FAVORING AND WHY:

1. Hamilton at McLaren
Out of the 4 world champions on the grid, Lewis is the only one with the longest current running car-driver-manufacturer relationship. This will give him a head start at the beginning of the season. Also, the fact that Schumacher will be on the grid will fuel Lewis' commitment to his conscious dream of being a multi world champion. This will add reality to Hamilton's dream life. Schumacher represents the beginnings of Lewis' dream and sharing the grid will awaken a deep drive and focus for Lewis as wins will mean much more. What may happen as Lewis succeeds is that he could become disillusioned with the dream as being too easy and thus start making mistakes... again. Lewis' version of beating himself has to do with a fear that if he wins too easily, then the vision of that has defined his life could end and emptiness or lack of purpose would ensue. I think this terrifies Lewis on a deeper level. I still see Hamilton as one of the Princes in F1 - the other is Vettel... But Vettel stands on his own two feet more than Lewis.  I favor Lewis early on, but for now I see his potency dropping off past mid-season. It will depend on what choices he awakens to; completing the dream and facing the emptiness of creating a new vision or staying in the struggle of the current.

2.Tie: Alonso and Schumacher (2 Kings Battle for Reign)

Pluses and minuses for each in resurrecting the battle of 2006. Scoring this: +2 Schumi and Ross. +1 Alonso w/Ferrari and his passion to drive all-out. 
-1 Alonso in a new car/new crew. -1 Schumi's age (except for wisdom),
+1 Alonso's age and finally getting to Ferrari where he can bring all the lessons he's learned since '06. -1 Alonso as Ferrari is basically dysfunctional and not as invincible as they play themselves to be. It will call on Alonso to lead in a whole new way like Schumi did (which I think he's capable of as a Leo). Alonso will have to go beyond to whip the team into shape and get rid of all the Ferrari BS and drama with a risk that his Leo ego will feed into that drama. This will be Alonso's biggest challenge but if he can pull it off, then the real power of Ferrari can be unleashed. Otherwise, Ferrari just sits on their asses and counts trophies and asks questions like: "Why didn't we win?" into the air for answers. -1 if Schumi gets divorced. +1 Schumi if he stays married...

3. Wild Card - Vettel!  (Ecclestone Agrees - LINK)
Prince Sebastian could surprise all and snatch the lead early. But maintaining it will depend on the reliability of his car. When up against the fully functional big-guns of Mclaren, Ferrari and now Mercedes, will the Red Bull chassis be able to keep up with what Seb dishes out? Where skill is concerned, Vettel has it where it counts and is capable of being world champion. Vettel also possesses an uncanny knack of being able to exceed expectations. This is due to what I observe as an enlightened personality. He conveys a simplicity that other drivers don't, stands more on his own emotionally, has less drama in his life, and I say less ego as well. This gives him more energy to devote to his focus. Vettel will also be inspired like Hamilton will be - inspired by all these Titans racing at the same time.
On the other hand, I have yet to see the dark side of Vettel. Perhaps there isn't one? I see Vettel negotiating the fray early, adjusting to all the new on-track dynamics and affirming his sea-legs, perhaps snatching a win. Then he will take off after the championship towards the end.

4. Button and Massa (The Noble & The Half- Prince )

Button will not do as well at Mclaren (as mentioned in earlier post) and will be too much on his own to be able to fly as there's no Ross to nurture him. I think JB's motivations for the move to Mclaren are fueled by glamor, fame, comeuppance and $$. Also, he will be in a new car, and out of the other 3 World Champions, he takes the fewest risks and is the least adaptable. Massa - ah, poor Massa - will be very much Schumi-less at Ferrari for the first time and Felipe will be emotionally affected. Add to that, competing against Schumi, his mentor, Felipe could feel betrayed and also play as a huge distraction from his focus. Not to mention that nobody really knows (not even him) the affects of his injury...

5. The rest of the field: Top of that list will be Webber followed by Kubica. Relegated to the back with occasional acts of brilliance which will land Mark or Robert at the front - to then later crash into someone trying to win. I see the rest of the field as back markers and spoilers to a greater degree than in the past. In this way, some of those back markers could end up like rolling targets for those attempting to stay at the top. Watch out gents, this could be a determining factor in it all!

Raikkonen Negotiating with Self

"Raikkonen Has Signed Citroen Deal..." and boy does he look happier!

I have been watching and predicting this sort of thing for the last year (ever since KR admitted that boredom was a factor in an off-track excursion in the 2008 season) but the fact that the whole WRC banana has not gone through to me is a testament to Kimi's negotiation with his own change. [Often times, we humans are blind to the inner negotiation and disregard this implicitly. Remember, the world is a reflection of our desires, not the other way around]   This little press leak is perhaps a way for KR to test his own response to the idea. As if to say: "Let's see how this would feel if it were to materialize." This whole negotiation for KR has been about boredom, money & glamor vs personal happiness and stimulation of a challenge that he's passionate about. [Remember, "It's not racing, it's self-discovery"] Kimi's nature is not into the glamor (for sure!) but in this choice, he could deceive himself into believing that he's immune from some or most human foibles. 

Note to Kimi: I know the money is good in F1, I know the glam is good. I know, know. But just imagine yourself next year in the middle of the season, when it's more about the racing than the hype, glam & $$. I think you're going to be the same bored Kimi in an F1 car. You have enough money. Let go and be yourself. Allow yourself to be bored and needing stimulation of another kind. Don't worry where it will lead your life. You have the support of many people around the world to just be yourself...Feeling alive is about moving into the unknown!