It is interesting that since Michael Schumacher returned from retirement two seasons ago now, after three years away from racing, and he has not yet scored a podium finish, one of the frequent arguments for his successful return was that despite being 41 years old – he turns 43 on January 3 – he was in just as good and perhaps better physical condition as most of the young drivers on the grid. There is really no argument against that, and it is clear just looking at Schumacher and how he moves and appears in great physical condition thanks to a draconian fitness regime, which is extremely important for drivers at the pinnacle.
But in an interview quoted on the Indo Asian News Service last week, one of Schumacher’s fellow German racers, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who retired from F1 even before Schumacher, pointed out another problem with aging, which has nothing to do with fitness: “As you grow older,” he said, “you tend to hesitate and become indecisive whether or not to push and take risks. You lose precious tenths of a second. I think Michael is at that stage in his career.”