‘Angry’ Schumacher not swayed by comeback critics

Michael Schumacher insists he is not motivated to succeed in formula one by the approval of pundits and headline-writers.

The German admits he was “very angry” at himself after the recent Chinese grand prix, when he was notably off the pace of his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg.

He has a heavily revised car for the fifth race of his 2010 comeback, but rejects the analysis that how he performs in Spain this weekend could paint the writing on the wall.

“Some like to see it as ‘now I have the car, now I have to perform, and if not then blah, blah, blah’.  I’m less thinking this way.”

Schumacher, 41, believes Shanghai was a blip on his trajectory of improvement this season, and is not swayed by those who think he will soon tire of his new F1 foray.

“The main reason I’m coming back is not to have a nice story in the media or be criticised in the media — I’m coming back because I enjoy driving and that’s what I’m here for,” he told reporters in Barcelona.

“Naturally the joy is higher if you win races, and in China I was very disappointed and I was very angry at myself, but you say ‘things will be different’.”

© RIF|GMM