The world of formula one will take only half a season to fill the void left in 2007 by the retired seven time world champion Michael Schumacher.
That is the view of BMW’s Mario Theissen, who admitted that standing in the Melbourne paddock in March, knowing that the 16-year veteran is back at his home in Switzerland, will be “strange”.
“Most definitely he will be missed in the first half of the season,” the German told the BMW-Sauber website.
“On the other hand, there are so many young talents on the grid that the excitement will be even bigger, from my point of view.”
With the likes of Robert Kubica and Sebastian Vettel on the books, Hinwil based BMW-Sauber did its part last year in bringing on the new generation of talent.
Also in Melbourne will be fresh faces including rookies Heikki Kovalainen, in a front running Renault, and the GP2 champion Lewis Hamilton, who is world champion Fernando Alonso’s new McLaren teammate.
Theissen insisted: “History has demonstrated again and again that the gap left by the retirement of a top driver was closed quicker than expected.”
GMMF1
DailyF1News.com
