Schumi: Mercedes' discontent

All of Germany dreamed of the return of Michael Schumacher en Formula 1, especially in the ranks of the new team Mercedes GP, born from the takeover of Brawn GP by the German manufacturer. But, after the return of the seven-time world champion was made official, voices were quickly raised to protest against this costly return. At Mercedes-Benz, at a time when production is being relocated, the seven million euros in salary spent to welcome Schumi are not welcome.

Uwe Werner, member of the supervisory board of Daimler, the parent company, told the Frankfurter Rundschau that this salary was “ difficult to justify. For many colleagues, this is unimaginable. » On the contrary, the manufacturer's staff believe that Mercedes' involvement in motorsport could have been called into question. “ Staff would have understood better if Mercedes had withdrawn from F1 », adds Werner.

If Mercedes staff think that the seven million euros offered to Michael Schumacher could have been invested differently, Norbert Haug, vice president of Mercedes Motorsport, defended this choice. Haug explained on the ZDF channel “ know how to invest [our] money », adding that this transfer would increase the attractiveness of Mercedes cars.

In 1996, Michael Schumacher, who arrived at Ferrari with little esteem from fans, was able to win the hearts of Ferrari supporters. Team, notably offering numerous victories to Ferrari. Returning to Mercedes, which launched his career in motorsport, the seven-time world champion is not reaching conquered territory and will have to promote the Mercedes brand to be appreciated by everyone.