So the old man is to return and drive a Ferrari again - news as surprising as BMW's withdrawal but rather more welcome. That view may be unexpected, coming from someone who has never liked Michael Schumacher but time has mellowed my opinion and now I can admit that it is a brave decision on his part.
Michael as we knew him
He must know how risky for his reputation is a comeback at his age. The adoring hordes of Schumacher fans will expect him to win from the outset and even the more realistic F1 watchers will presume that the veteran is still capable of showing the young upstarts a thing or two over the course of the next few races. Which brings to my mind Michael's somewhat liberal interpretation of the sporting rules and a doubt that the stewards would be as understanding nowadays.
So much has changed in the years that Michael has been away. Yet, if anyone can and will prepare himself to the utmost for the challenge, it is Michael Schumacher. I admit that my respect for him has gone up a notch in view of his acceptance of the task; clearly, he is not as concerned for his reputation as is his former manager, Willi Weber, who advised him to turn down the offer. The man just cannot resist a chance to compete.
Commentators are remembering other veterans who returned to F1 for a second crack at the game, wondering whether these might give an insight into Michael's chances. Yet the circumstances in Lauda's, Prost's and Mansell's return were very different and none of them were as complete a driver as Michael. Lauda came back for money (his airline was struggling financially at the time) and found himself in the best car and with a team mate (Prost) who seemed to have most of the bad luck going in that year. His championship came by virtue of half a point and the following year showed the true difference in skills between Niki and Prost.
Prost's return to the game happened after only a year's sabbatical and he jumped straight into a car so much better than the rest that he would have looked stupid had he not won the championship that year. His retirement at that point may have been a recognition of how lucky he had been, apart from the threat of Senna joining the team.
And Mansell made a mistake typical of a man who always overestimated his own talents. Without the benefit of the best car, he was never going to live up to his reputation.
Like Lauda, Michael returns after a long absence but not to the best car in the field. One might think he runs the risk of emulating Mansell in this but the Shoe's talent was (and presumably remains) so much greater that he will do far better. At the very least, I would expect him to be very close to Raikkonen's times in Valencia and probably quicker in later races. It is Felipe Massa, reportedly recovering well from his injuries, who gives us the clue.
In Michael's last season in F1, Felipe was getting close to Michael and was occasionally quicker. That should really have warned us that Kimi was not going to have an easy time of it when he joined Ferrari, but the Finn's reputation was sky high then and we believed him to be even faster than Michael. That seems less likely now and, even accepting that Michael may have lost an edge over the years, he should still be good competition for Raikkonen.
As for the mechanical and aerodynamic changes that have happened since Michael's departure, I do not believe they will be a serious obstacle for the multiple world champion. He has handled all of them before with the exception of KERS and was always quick to adjust to changing circumstances.
Whatever happens, it is going to be interesting. Many of us have longed for Mickey's return, if only to give us a yardstick on the fresh talent now in F1, and it seems we are to have our wish. This is truly the year when the rookies had to take a back seat and let the old names have a go instead...