Michael Schumacher insists the spate of car-related retirements he has suffered so far this season haven't led him to doubt Mercedes.
Seven-times Champion backing team to turn things around
Michael Schumacher insists the spate of mechanical retirements he has suffered this season are not causing him to lose faith in his Mercedes team, insisting they can still achieve something "special" together.
A collision in which he was judged to have been at fault for with Bruno Senna at the Spanish GP aside, the seven-times World Champion has been forced into retirement for car-related reasons at four of the seven Grands Prix so far this season. As a result, he has been restricted to a meagre two points in the championship.
The latest retirement came on Sunday in Montreal when the DRS rear-wing flap on his W03 became jammed open. However, despite the run of misfortune, Schumacher is adamant the team retain his unequivocal support.
Speaking on his
official website, Schumacher said: "I wanted to emphasise once again that Formula 1 cars are prototype vehicles and hundreds of components are made specially for them.
"For me, it's completely understandable that things can go wrong from time to time.
"Of course it was a disappointing outcome in Montreal. But I won't lose my nerve or my faith in the team. I still believe that we will achieve something special together with Mercedes."
The three-year contract Schumacher committed to when he agreed to come out of retirement with the new Mercedes team in 2010 expires at the end of the current campaign and it remains to be seen, in the wake of a trying campaign to date, whether or not the 43-year-old will decide to call permanent time on his record-breaking career.
In the more immediate term, Schumacher is refusing to point the finger at any area of the Mercedes operation in particular and says he will work closely with his engineers in the coming days to ensure the problems are fixed for Valencia onwards.
"There is no reason to blame anyone - unfortunate circumstances like these are part of motor racing. Indeed, I'm certain it's even tougher for the guys in the team," he said.
"That's why I sat down with my race engineers immediately after my retirement, to discuss how we should approach the time before the next race and to make sure we stay in close contact over the coming days."
