Michael Schumacker

It will be announced that Michael Schumacher, seven times Formula 1 world champion is to come out of retirement to race for Mercedes next year. Mercedes and Schumacher have signed the contact and are set to make the official announcement this morning.

The speculation began after German newspaper Bild reported that Schumacher signed a one-year deal and it is likely he will have the option to continue beyond 2010 if his returns goes well.

It is understood that Schumacher will earn £6.2m after signing up to reunite with Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn, who was behind all seven of his titles, the first two with Benetton in 1994-5 and the subsequent five with Ferrari from 2000-4.

Rosberg, Mercedes signing shortly after the 2009 season ended, has already commented on the speculation of a Schumacher return stating that, though he would welcome him as a team-mate faces a tough task getting back up to speed with F1. “It will not be easy for him” Rosberg was quoted yesterday in German newspaper Stuttgarter Zeitung. “When you stay away from F1 for a long time, it takes time to get used to all the test sessions again. It’s not simple but if he did join that would be an absolutely fantastic move.”

A neck injury sustained in a motorcycle accident last February forced Schumacher to call off a planned temporary comeback as a stand-in for injured Ferrari driver Felipe Massa last season. Schumacher is known to have had medical checks recently and it must be assumed that he has been pronounced fit as he would not want to face the same embarrassment again.

It is understood that last week he told Luca di Montezemolo, president of Ferrari, with whom he had signed a revised contract as a consultant for Ferrari that he was “very close” to concluding a deal to race for Mercedes. This was so that Ferrari could release him from his current contract.

This high profile comeback rivals that of Austrian Niki Lauda who came out of a two-year retirement for the 1982 season to race for McLaren. Lauda, at 33 went on to win a third world title in 1984. Juan Manuel Fangio who won a fifth world championship before retiring at 46 is Formula 1′s oldest world champion. Nigel Mansell won the 1994 Australian Grand Prix at the age of 41, having stepped in as a substitute for Williams for four races after the death of Ayrton Senna.

Former team-mate, Eddie Irvine, told the BBC last week that although Schumacher may not be as powerful a force as he had once been he could be expected to win races. “The speed will be there, though he won’t be as fast as he was seven years ago” Irvine said. “He’s not at the peak of his game, but he’s still good enough to win races as he has such an immense talent. It’s still four wheels, a steering wheel and an engine and there’s never been anyone better than Michael.”

Irvine believed Schumacher would be at a disadvantage in wheel-to-wheel racing compared to the younger generation of drivers such as Lewis Hamilton, 2008 world champion. “Lewis isn’t going to back off, but Michael will have to because he’ll be 41” Irvine said.

Michael Schumacher returns to F1