Originally Posted by ArrowsFA1
I think it's generally accepted that Michael was eased out at Ferrari earlier than he would have chosen and that probably played a part in him wanting to return. Had he walked away from the sport at a time and a place of his chosing then I doubt whether he would have come back.
Sadly, I think the decision to quit now may be more about what Mercedes want than Michael making the decision himself because IMHO Michael is not the driver he was before he retired.
That might be down to three factors: 1) his age, 2) the car and 3) the effects of his neck injury.
I don't think age is particularly significant. Of course he is competing against much younger drivers but, as before, MS remains one of the fittest drivers on the grid. The one area his age does make a difference is in the time it will take to get Mercedes to the front of the grid. He had that time at Ferrari, but not now.
The Mercedes, clearly, is no match for the Red Bull. It's not going to win races in normal circumstances. Years ago Michael could win races in a car that was not the best on the grid, but not now. However I do think he's still capable of winning races...if he had a Red Bull, or if Mercedes build a winning car.
Finally, his neck injury. I do wonder what effect this has had. Obviously it prevented him making his return with Ferrari but supposedly all is now ok but could the lingering effects be enough to have affected his performance? Months after his accident at Goodwood Stirling Moss tested at the same circuit. His times were competitive but he felt driving, racing, was no longer automatic. He had to think about what had previously been second nature. Now obviously circumstances were different but being competitive in F1 is all about small margins and maybe, just maybe, Michael's injury has had an effect.
