I Can Handle Criticism - Schumacher

Michael Schumacher has been often criticized for his performances at F1 return in 2010, which all culminated with his failing to make the Top 50 drivers of the year. However, despite the struggles he had to face in the underperforming Mercedes W01, the 41-year old insisted that criticism is not something that he can't handle in the series.

Almost all former Grand Prix stars like Sir Stirling Moss, Niki Lauda or Sir Jackie Stewart – not to mention worldwide media and F1 analysts – took countless swipes at the 7-time world champion, yet the German insisted he can live with that as long as it drives him forward.

“I haven't looked good all the time either. I can live with criticism very well, you just have to differentiate it and it can bring you forward as well,” said Schumacher in an interview published on his personal website.

“What is much more important is that I deeply enjoy building what we are building here at this team and that is always the best base for success because you do not need to question the motivation. And please don't get me wrong here; you don't question the seriousness either. I can't wait already to get the new season started.”

Talking about the new season, Schu admitted that the good feeling he has for the campaign to come is probably the result of his rise in form in the late stages of last season.

“We ended the season with a positive feeling and things were starting to come together with a tendency that was clearly positive. And from a physical point of view, the year wasn't very demanding for me. So, knowing our developments for the new year makes me confident that we can fight for some race victories from our own power. This is a prospect which makes me look forward to competing again,” he concluded.