Schumacher agony for Ferrari - but is Badoer the right alternative?

Piquet or Bourdais would have been more effective as stand-in for the injured Felipe Massa in Valencia. Michael Schumacher’s much-anticipated return to Formula One with Ferrari this month has been sidelined after he was defeated by an aggravated neck injury. It was always going to be a battle for the German to come back to F1 after three years away. He remains super fit, but an injury from the result of a motorbike crash back in February was always going to be the most difficult factor for him to overcome. Ferrari, and indeed F1, will be worse off with both drivers and spectators looking forward to his return. Ferrari ‘s options to replace injured Felipe Massa have been limited, and while initially overlooked in favour of a return by Schumacher, the Scuderia will now turn to long-time test driver Luca Badoer to pilot the F60 in Valencia. Despite his extensive testing for Ferrari, Badoer has not been able to test the F60 on track during the season, has not driven a competitive F1 race for 10 years, and failed to win a single point from his previous 48 race starts. At 38, Badoer’s selection comes from having no alternative at short notice with Ferrari once again repaying loyalty for years of service.