Emerson Fittipaldi is confident that Michael Schumacher's abilities to win Formula 1 races will not have faded as the 7-time World Champion makes his return to the sport at the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend. The Brazilian believes that motivation is a greater factor towards victory than age.
With the Mercedes driver back in F1 after a 3-year sabbatical, he takes back the title of oldest driver from former team-mate Rubens Barrichello, with some having criticized the Kerpen man for making a comeback at the age of 41; Fittipaldi, however, believes that motivation is a more important influence.
"If he's motivated to win, he will win and I'm sure he's coming back that way," 64-year-old Fittipaldi, who clinched titles in for Lotus and McLaren 1972 and 1974, is quoted as saying by Gulf News. "He's physically fit, like a lot of the younger drivers, but as long as he's motivated to win he will win.
"When I raced in America after my F1 career I won as a 49-year-old - I won because I was still motivated to win. Mercedes are the Brawn team which won last year's Constructors' Championship, so they're going to be extremely competitive but it involves a lot of technical circumstances."
Positive that Schumacher will be provided with a car capable of winning Grands Prix in his comeback season, Emerson admits that a period of racing convalescence may be required: "Schumacher will have great equipment to work with but it will take him two or three races to get used to the circuits because, when you've taken a break, it does take some time to come back."
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