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On the metaphorical back of Brawn GP’s utter domination of Formula 1 in 2009, were several impressive story lines for the 2010 season, such as:

"Seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher returns to the sport after a 3-year retirement."

"Mercedes brings back its factory team to the sport after a 55-year hiatus (and they’re using the double World Championship Brawn GP as a foundation!)"

And other such headlines that I could have just as easily made-up. So why didn’t the picture above turn into the picture below? Y’know, with the hardware like Sebastian Vettel is holding? Good question. Mercedes GP and its returning saviour, Schumacher, failed to manage even a single podium, even with megamind technical director Ross Brawn scheming in the background.




Clearly, the other teams, especially Adrian Newey and his Red Bulls, upped their game significantly. But one can’t help but wonder aloud if Mercedes messed too much with Brawn’s successful formula, Or alternatively, if Honda gave Brawn a better car than anyone realized, but then Brawn ran out of the funding necessary to keep it cutting edge. And other such scenarios that I could have just as easily made-up.



Chairman of Daimler and Head of Mercedes-Benz, Dieter Zetsche, provides this explanation of Schumacher’s performance: "It is very difficult to put in an impressive performance with a less competitive car. First we have to give him the car to show us his capabilities."

Dr. Z had this to say about the team’s overall performance: "On the one hand, we can't have expected more as a newly formed team. We would not have complained if we had won the championship, of course, but it wasn't a realistic expectation."

He finished the interview with this: “[In the future], it is clear that the public, and also ourselves, expect us to be looking better than this year. It's not arrogance, it is what is expected of us and what we are measured against. Of course this means that if we don't meet this standard, we are criticised. We have to bear that. But this is also evidence that we are trusted to deliver."

I want to meet the man-behind-the-man who helped Zetsche write that last line. Or if Zetsche came up with that all on his own, that’s all the more impressive. I wish politicians could speak so masterfully.

Anyways, Mercedes GP is here to stay, at least for another year or two. Hopefully, in the coming years, they’ll perform closer to Zetsche’s expectations, and ours, keeping F1 the compelling sport that it is.