Button Says F1 Return Risky for Schumacher

With the reports about Michael Schumacher's return to Formula One getting more and more serious, several driver in the F1 paddock started to share their own view on the matter. While countryman Adrian Sutil said that Schu's return might not be such a good idea for the 40-year old ace, reigning F1 champion Jenson Button also argued that it might be risky business for the former Ferrari-an.

Although admitting that the sport would benefit a great deal from Schumacher's presence on the F1 grid, Button stressed the fact that the German driver will put his reputation on the line for no good reason.

“Schumacher coming back to F1 is great news for the sport. But I don't know if it will be great news for Michael Schumacher. He will be putting his reputation on the line coming back into the sport,” said Button in an interview with British tabloid News of the World.

As reported by the Bild newspaper and Focus Magazine during the course of last weekend, Schu's signature on the Mercedes GP deal is only a matter of time, as the German driver allegedly agreed verbally to a one-year deal with the Brackley based team. In exchange, he would earn approximately 3.5 million euros during the 2010 season.

As for the prospect of racing against Schumacher next season – the German ace would actually replace him at Mercedes GP – Button insisted it won't change anything in terms of retaining his F1 crown. More, it would add more prestige to his potentially second consecutive crown in the Great Circle.

“I'll race against anybody. I want to beat the best and he was one of the best,” added Button.

Earlier this year, when Brawn GP was on a winning streak inside the F1 championship, the news emerged that Schumacher might join the British team as race consultant. Back then, Button's response to the media was quite unequivocal: “We don't need Schumacher in our team!”