Prost: « Schumacher made the right choice by retiring »

Alain Prost claims to understand Michael Schumacher’s desire to return to F1 but believes that the seven-time world champion made the right decision regarding his concerns about the strength of his neck. Schumacher injured his neck in a motorcycle accident in February, and after testing a Ferrari F2007, he decided he was not fit to race in the European Grand Prix in Valencia.

Prost, who won four world titles between 1985 and 1993, states in the columns of the French newspaper Le Parisien that Schumacher would have needed more time to prepare for a comeback: « The desire and motivation take time to completely fade away after retirement. With Michael, we hung up our helmets for different reasons, but when you have the opportunity, the temptation to return is great. »

« If there is the slightest physical risk, Schumacher was right. The neck is crucial in motorsport, and if there is pain, you can quickly experience nausea and vision disturbances. »

Prost also raised another question. Whether or not Schumacher will perform well in the race: « It remains to be seen if Schumacher gave up the idea of a comeback solely because of this health issue, or because he realized the task was enormous. »

« He hasn’t really been in F1 for three years and only had three weeks to prepare. The body changes very quickly when you stop racing. After a break, the driver doesn’t react in the same way and the vision isn’t as good. When I came back in 1993 after eight months, it was very difficult to return to the top level, Schumacher needed more time, » continued the Frenchman.

« In 1994, McLaren asked me to take the wheel. I did three days of testing and immediately realized that something was broken. The speed wasn’t there even though the will to handle media pressure or travel was great. »