Michael Schumacher turned down Lotus offer of comeback - MotorSportsTalk

Michael Schumacher turned down Lotus’ offer of a two-race stint with the team as a replacement for the injured Kimi Raikkonen at Austin and Interlagos, it has been confirmed.

Schumacher – who is statistically the greatest driver in the history of Formula One – enjoyed his heyday in the early 2000s with Ferrari, with whom he won five of his seven world championships. After retiring at the end of 2006, the German driver returned to the sport with Mercedes in 2010. However, during his three seasons with the German marque, he claimed just one podium finish and lacked the spark he used to possess, and retired for the second time at the end of last season.

However, it has transpired that Lotus – who were seeking a replacement for Raikkonen after the Finn opted to undergo back surgery – approached Schumacher about stepping in.

His manager explained to German publication Bild: “Michael would be fit enough yet, but he has settled in his new life.”

Therefore, Schumacher will not be adding to his haul of 91 grand prix victories in 2013, and it is unlikely that we will ever see him race in Formula One again.

Lotus confirmed earlier today that Finnish driver Heikki Kovalainen will deputize for Raikkonen for the United States Grand Prix this weekend (live on NBC and NBC Sports Live Extra from 1pm ET) and the season finale in Brazil next week.

The fact that Lotus did approach Schumacher clearly shows that they were not looking for a ‘quick fix’, and for the same reason they opted against promoting reserve driver Davide Valsecchi. Kovalainen – a one-time race winner – does appear to fit this mould, and the Finn will be keen on impressing during the last two races of the year.

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An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”