Presence of six world champs does not faze Schumacher

THE presence of six world champions in the Formula One competition this year may add more glamour to the championship but it is not necessarily an incentive for the drivers to do better.

Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher said yesterday that it is the fans who will benefit from seeing the best in action and that having six champions racing will certainly add to the excitement.

“Of course you are also talking about six very distinct characters set in their ways. It certainly adds to the glamour but I don’t think it will have any great effect on the races,” he said.

The six world champions in the fray are Schumacher, defending champion Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button, Kimi Raikonen, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.

Schumacher said that it did not provide any additional incentive for him to do well.

“For me, the race is important and how I fare is the real concern. It doesn’t matter if there are six world champions in the fray. So long as they are competitive and do their jobs well, the motivation to beat them will be there. Like I said earlier, the fans are the ones to benefit.”

Schumacher is one of the drivers for the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team. The other is Nico Rosberg.

Both drivers did not finish in the opening race in Melbourne last weekend.

But the German feels there were plenty of positives from Albert Park which should stand them in good stead at Sepang.

“After the disappointment of Melbourne, I will be racing in Malaysia with a big sense of anticipation because our car is capable of putting us in the mix,” he said.

“Of course, we haven’t forgotten that the circuit in Melbourne is not really representative of the true competitive picture. Nevertheless, the car gives me a good feeling for the season ahead.

“Sepang will be interesting for everybody because it will be the first clue to the real strengths of all the cars.”

Schumacher has fond memories of racing in Sepang and believes there is good chance to get a result this weekend.

Asked which was better, the Malaysian or Singapore GP, the German gave a diplomatic answer.

“They are different races and provide for different racing. I have been to Sepang a good number of years and I enjoy racing here,” he said.

Team principal Ross Brawn said: “The Malaysian Grand Prix is always special as it is the home race of our title partner Petronas.

“As always, the support that Petronas provides to Formula 1, both to our team and to the promotion of the sport and the Grand Prix in Malaysia, has been fantastic. We are all looking forward to a busy and successful week.”

The Malaysian Grand Prix gets underway at the sepang international Circuit tomorrow.