Having been out of racing for more than three years and attempting a comeback at the age of 41, you might expect Michael Schumacher and those around him to be a little wary of offering hostages to fortune.
Not a bit of it. As the first race of the 2010 Formula One season in Bahrain in mid-March draws closer, he has been telling the media in his native Germany that he has every hope and intention of adding an eighth world title to his career tally.
“In our long-term targets with Mercedes we have established a clear objective,” Schumacher said. “I want to become world champion again. Perhaps that will not happen in my first season back, but it is a realistic possibility over three seasons.”
Perhaps Schumacher’s ambition is understandable as he seeks to build his confidence in a decision that could yet prove a mistake. More surprising is that his views are shared just as candidly by Ross Brawn, the Mercedes GP team principal, normally known for his caution about predicting glorious outcomes.
“I do not believe Michael will win at his first race. He will need a few races until he’s accustomed to the car and the new drivers,” Brawn said. “But I hope in the long term he can. That was always his strength: he can adapt and learn unbelievably fast. If I put down a bet, I would say clearly ‘Michael will be world champion.’ ”
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This must be depressing for Schumacher’s new team-mate, Nico Rosberg, who must have thought he had a chance of leading the team when he signed for Mercedes in November.
In theory, no decision has been taken on whether Schumacher will be given No 1 status. Dr Dieter Zetsche, chairman of Mercedes’s parent company, Daimler AG, was quoted as saying this was a matter for Brawn to decide. Zetsche was also asked how he would feel if Schumacher proved disappointing. “This is an hypothesis I don’t even contemplate,” he said.