Needless to say, his opinion is that Schumacher can return to winning in Formula One at any time, as Briatore argued the German already left the series prematurely in 2006. According to his former manager at Benetton, Schu could have stayed competitive in the Great Circle for at least 2 or 3 years. As long as he's physically fit to race, the soon-to-be 41-year old still has it in him to become once again race winner in the series.
“Knowing him, I think he's reflected on it for a long time, and if he's decided to come back it's because he's convinced he can still be quick. The last season demonstrates this clearly, because the driver who's become World Champion is certainly not the best on the scene,” said Briatore in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I'm convinced that, had he been physically fit, he would have come back last season already with Ferrari. Michael belongs to that category of racing drivers who just can't have a normal life, who can't stay away from racing. And besides, I'll repeat an old idea of mine: when he quit three years ago, he wasn't ready to retire, he could have been competitive for two or three more seasons,” added the 59-year old Italian.
However, Briatore made it very clear that he doesn't consider Schumacher a title contender just yet, as he believes the strongest lineup on the grid next year will be Ferrari's. However, depending on how the Mercedes GP organization will succeed in developing a competitive car next year, anything can happen.
“I'll just say that Ross (Brawn) knows him well and that Mercedes has always chased him. But then I repeat: the car is fundamental,” added Briatore.
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