Legend Michael Schumacher's Grand Prix comeback was a disastrous mistake. That's the outspoken view of Eddie Jordan, who gave the German genius his Formula One break.
Both Formu1a One kingpin Bernie Ecclestone and British race hero Sir Jackie Stewart forecast he will quit before his three-year deal with Mercedes, worth around £90million (Dh507.6 million), is completed.
Irishman Jordan, then a privateer team owner, put Schumacher on the road to fame and massive fortune when he took a chance on him at the Belgian Grand Prix in 1991. The rookie racer qualified seventh but had to pull out after only one lap of the famous Spa circuit.
In the next 15 years he won 91 GPs and claimed seven world titles as the most successful driver in Formu1a One history. His comeback at 41 has faded into a flop and he has even been outpaced by 25-year-old teammate Nico Rosberg who with a sixth place in the championship lies three places above him.
He will be desperate to stem the flow of failure in front of 140,000 spectators at his homeland Grand Prix at Hockenheim on Sunday, one of his favourite tracks and a race he has won four times but where 23-year-old fellow German Sebastian Vettel, a local boy, is odds-on to outshine him.
Schumacher promised this week, "I will be extra motivated to give all my fans and friends and admirers of Mercedes a weekend to remember. We will have some updates on our car which we hope will be a step forward, so we can look ahead to an exciting race."
Bold words, but Jordan, Ecclestone and Stewart fear for his fast fading reputation.
"Michael's return was an excellent thing for the sport - but for him personally it is a huge error," said Jordan. "To make a comeback at 41, to pitch yourself against men 20 years younger is simply against the laws of physics and medicine," he said.
If the sad situation doesn't improve it is a fair bet that Schumacher will abandon his £30m a year deal and flee back to his wife and two children and their lakeside mansion in Switzerland.
Ecclestone, a long-term admirer who encouraged his return says: "He is obviously fit, motivated and talented but the car hasn't been up to the job. And if he doesn't perform I doubt whether he will want to stay."
The author is an expert on motorsport, based in England
