Vettel for Schumacher to continue his career, Weber against

Michael Schumacher has ultimately tested the patience of Mercedes, who, while waiting to learn more about the German’s intentions for 2013, has finally seized the opportunity to secure the services of Lewis Hamilton. While most top teams are now full, with the exception of Ferrari which is slow to extend Felipe Massa’s contract, the seven-time world champion now finds himself facing two alternatives: either retire or agree to drive for a second-tier team.

As soon as Lewis Hamilton’s arrival became official, some suggested Michael Schumacher at Sauber, where, according to Monisha Kaltenborn, he would potentially be welcome. Fernando Alonso even believes that if he had driven the C31 this year, Schumi would have already won three races this season with Sauber.

But for Willi Weber, former manager of Michael Schumacher, the time has come for the seven-time world champion: Michael has nothing left to prove. He was the best driver in the world. As a manager, I might try with Ferrari, but I don’t think it would be seriously considered. Despite all the respect I have for Michael and his legend, we need to make room for the young, he explains in the columns of Auto Motor und sport.

The German also does not believe that Sauber is a truly serious option: « Continue with Sauber? A private team? I can’t imagine Michael doing that. It’s not against Peter Sauber because what he did this year is better than what they did at Mercedes, but someone like Michael needs to be part of a global company or a famous team. Moreover, he can’t fight for the title with Sauber. »

However, for some, the departure of the German would leave a huge void in Formula One, to quote Niki Lauda’s words in Der Spiegel. For example, Sebastian Vettel hopes in Bild that his compatriot will continue: It’s the biggest name there is in Formula One. It’s always fun to race against him and it would be great to see him next year. I would be delighted, but it’s Michael’s decision and he has things to consider.

For his part, Ross Brawn confides to Reuters that he would like Michael Schumacher to continue working with Mercedes in new roles, but he knows that the German will probably need some time to reflect: “I believe Michael will take a few months to think and decide what to do in the future. Michael has been undecided for some time now regarding what he should do. […] There are opportunities within the team and/or at Mercedes for Michael to remain involved in one way or another.” And the Brit has his own idea about the role the Kaiser could play with the star brand: “He is particularly interested in the development of high-performance cars, that kind of thing.”