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Michael Schumacher’s 2010 comeback was one of the most iconic sights in Formula 1 history, but one of his confidants knew it wouldn’t work out.
The seven-time champion broke the sporting internet when he announced his comeback with Mercedes four years after stepping away from the sport with Ferrari.
Pictured in his new team’s silver next to a Christmas tree on December 23, 2009, the image was front page news across the world, but despite the smiles, Franz Tost gave him a reality check.
Tost worked in F1 for over 20 years before his retirement in 2023, and was most notably the team principal of Red Bull’s sister team since they were founded as Toro Rosso in 2005.
A colleague of Michael’s brother Ralf, the Austrian became close friends with the legendary German, who confided in him about his potential F1 return.
Michael’s comeback was completely pointless,” he told Sport1. “I discussed it with Michael at dinner shortly before his return.
“I told him: ‘Your time is up’, I asked him: ‘What do you expect?’ He said: ‘I want to win races and become world champion again.’
said: ‘You can forget about that. Formula 1 is completely different today. When you left Ferrari, you could test without any willpower’.
“‘You had your own tyre manufacturer, Bridgestone, that did everything for you. If you had understeer, for example, you tested a tyre until the problem was solved.
