Michael Schumacher, never a man to underrate his own ability, firmly believes he will shine as one of Formula One's leading lights next season.

His flop comeback at the age of 41 sparked widespread opinions that he would back away from his £90 million (Dh 517.8 million) three-year contract with race legends Mercedes.

But far from it...

And from his palatial lakeside home in Switzerland, the father of two showed how fired up he is with the vow: "I want to make my return successful and I'll only be happy when I am back on the winning road with this team."

He disregarded suggestions he might quit by stressing: "I enjoy Formula One. I feel I have the right to do what I really enjoy. This is my passion and my joy.

"Whether I put in dispute my reputation, I just feel so good about my decision."

That's the style of fighting talk his boss Ross Brawn wants to hear after watching Schuey slump down among the also rans, overshadowed by his teammate Nico Rosberg, who finished 70 points ahead of his ninth-placed fellow German in the drivers' standings.

Brawn, the mastermind behind all of Schumacher's world titles at Benetton and then Ferrari, says: "In the last few races I saw patches of his performance that were the Michael Schumacher I expected to see.

Exciting time ahead

"Now it is all coming together and I believe next year we are going to have a really exciting time."

That's a view shared by one-time world champion Nigel Mansell.

Schumacher's old foe Mansell forecasts that the seven-time Formula One king could spring a surprise on the other four champions in the 2011 line-up — Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso — and add to his 91 career wins.

"He could be the joker in the pack," said Mansell, "Mercedes could be something special."

And he went on: "If the team don't give him a car to show the world how good he is then he might see his decision as a bad one — but he will show next season all the same feelings he had before he left Formula One in the first place."

 

The Author is an motorsport expert based in England