SUZUKA, Japan - It's going to be interesting to see which Michael Schumacher shows up for this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix. Will it be the fiercely competitive Schumacher who has won a record 52 Grand Prix races and four World Championships?
Or will it be the off-the-pace Schumacher who showed up for the races in Italy and Indianapolis?
After the events of Sept. 11 and Alex Zanardi's terrible accident, Schumacher drove on autopilot in the Italian Grand Prix and finished an uncompetitive fourth. It was perhaps the first time in his F-1 career that Schumacher hadn't driven flat out. Schumacher admits he was deeply affected by the twin tragedies. He's also taken a different view of life after several big accidents, including one in testing in Italy earlier this year and the crash in which he broke his leg in the 1999 British Grand Prix.
“With all things that do happen to you,” Schumacher said, “like the accident I had in Monza, the accident I had in the past, or Zanardi or what has happened in America, yes, it’s always a kind of situation which makes you aware of that fact that life is precious.”
Did what happened in America on Sept. 11th make Schumacher feel more vulnerable?
“It is pretty clear that it did, yes,” he said quietly.
Two weeks after the Italian Grand Prix Schumacher showed up in Indianapolis, where he promptly put his Ferrari on the pole and led the way at the start of the race. His teammate Rubens Barrichello was on a two-stop strategy and thus had a lighter fuel load and was quicker than Schumacher, who was only planning to pit once. Still, Schumacher seemed to go to sleep in the middle portion of the race.
The tire choice he and Barrichello had made, Schumacher said afterwards, was the wrong one. Many in the F-1 paddock, however, believed that Schumacher was taking it easy so that Barrichello would finally get a win this year.
In Japan, Barrichello said that Schumacher had not been sleeping since he won the title at the Hungarian Grand Prix in mid-August. But is the determination still there for Schumacher? Has he eased off at all?
“Put it this way, we have probably seen a realistic Michael Schumacher in Spa after the championship,” he said, referring to the Belgian Grand Prix, which he won two weeks after clinching the title in Hungary. “How much we have seen of it since then I am not so sure. But I am pretty sure that we will see it again.”
Which again raises the question of what Schumacher will do in the Japanese Grand Prix.
Earlier this week in Tokyo, Schumacher said: “I am going to the best possible job for the Japanese fans.”
But Schumacher has also said it's important that teammate Barrichello finish second in the drivers championship.
“We still have one more goal to reach,” Schumacher said, “and that is to take second place in the drivers championship classification with Rubens.
”We want to do our best and hope that Rubens will be luckier this time.”
For Barrichello to finish second in the points, however, he has to win the race while David Coulthard, who is currently second, finishes lower than fifth. Although Coulthard has never gone particularly well at the Suzuka circuit in Japan, that's still a pretty tough goal for Barrichello to achieve.
Coulthard has said that if doesn't win the championship, second place doesn't mean that much to him. But Schumacher believes that the runner-up spot would be a nice accolade for Barrichello.
“It depends from where you look at it,” Schumacher said. “The best Rubens has finished (in the drivers championship) was fourth last year. The name vice world champion is quite a nice name. There are a lot of people who would like to be a vice president. But if you understand Coulthard, he is not so much interested in that. So it depends from which point you look at it.”
Practically every year since 1994 Schumacher has arrived for the Japanese Grand Prix still involved in the battle for the championship. This year it's different.
“Coming to Suzuka with both the drivers and constructors titles in the bag is simply marvelous,” he said, “because, as I have said before, it is much nicer to race without being under any sort of pressure.”
Asked what he wants out of this last Grand Prix of the season, Schumacher replied: “A good race and to get a good result to take into the winter break so that I can enjoy myself in the winter time, relax, recharge and keep going.”
And that brings us back to the question of which Schumacher will be racing Sunday. Barrichello has to win, so how does that work out for Schumacher?
“I will find out,” Schumacher said. “I don't know...”
