Franz Tost: That's why Michael Schumacher's comeback was "totally pointless"

(Motorsport-Total.com) - Long-time Formula 1 team boss Franz Tost described Michael Schumacher's comeback as "totally pointless" in an interview with Sport1 - and said he had already told Schumacher this to his face before he joined Mercedes for the 2010 Formula 1 season.

Tost and Schumacher have known each other for decades: Tost was once a team manager at the Formula 3 racing team of Schumacher's then manager Willi Weber and, among other things, looked after Schumacher's younger brother Ralf Schumacher in his race in the Japanese Formula Nippon in 1996.

Years later, Tost sat across from Michael Schumacher at dinner—"shortly before his return," as Tost explains. He clearly told the seven-time Formula 1 world champion what he thought, saying, "Your time is over."

What was different in Schumacher's second career

But according to Tost, it didn't stop there. "I asked him, 'What do you expect?' He said, 'I want to win races and become world champion again.' I said, 'You can forget about that. Formula 1 is completely different today.'"

Compared to Schumacher's first career, the rules were different now. For example, unlimited test drives were no longer permitted. Tost says he told Michael Schumacher that first.

During his time at Ferrari, Schumacher was still able to "test without will," and Ferrari had a tire supplier in Bridgestone "that did everything for you," Tost said. "If you had understeer, for example, you would test a tire until the problem was solved."

Was Schumacher too old when he made his comeback?

By the time of Schumacher's comeback, however, the "tire war" with different manufacturers was already history: There were only standard tires. "And only seven days of testing," Tost emphasizes, "half of which are for you, the rest for Rosberg." Therefore, he gave Schumacher some well-intentioned advice about his return to Formula 1: "Forget it!"

Tost Schumacher hadn't even said the truly "crucial" thing yet, namely: "Your direct competitors are twenty years younger than you. Especially in Formula 1, after a certain age, the film runs too fast. Then it's over."

In fact, a Schumacher accident in Singapore in 2012 is also attributed to his age, which was already 43 at the time: The Mercedes driver collided with Jean-Eric Vergne of Toro Rosso in the race because he misjudged the braking for a 90-degree right-hand bend and crashed into the rear of the car in front with his front wheels stationary - the end of the race for both of them.

How Schumacher reacted to Tost's statements

Schumacher couldn't have foreseen anything like this before the start of the 2010 season. Nor that he would conclude his comeback after three years as a Silver Arrows factory driver with just one more podium finish and just one more qualifying fastest time (he lost the corresponding pole position due to a penalty) – without any further victories or world championship titles. (More on this in the Formula 1 database!)

So how did Michael Schumacher react when Tost told him his opinion so bluntly? "He accepted it without resentment," says Tost, without going into further detail. However, the statements didn't change Schumacher's mind: The former champion subsequently drove for Mercedes for three years, only to retire for a second time at the end of 2012 – this time for good.

For Tost, Schumacher is one of the best drivers in Formula 1, despite the Mercedes episode. When asked which current and former racing drivers he would bring to his dream team, Tost replied: "I would always choose Max. So, Max Verstappen and Michael Schumacher."

It is also exciting to see who Tost would sign from the current Formula 1 ranks: in addition to Red Bull driver Verstappen, McLaren driver Oscar Piastri, the current World Championship leader in the 2025 Formula 1 season .