IndyCar driver react to Schumacher’s return
DARIO FRANCHITTI (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing): "In some ways, I was a little shocked because he has easily achieved everything he could want to. But I guess the competitive instinct is still there for him, and he wants to do it. I'm really happy to see him back. I'd much rather see him drive an F1 car than those Superbikes because you can really hurt yourself on those things (laughs). It's obviously really sad with the way it all happened, with Massa hurting himself, but I hope Massa gets better soon and jumps back in the car. Who better to put in your car, to sub for Massa, than Michael Schumacher? It's definitely going to put the cat amongst the pigeons for the remainder of the races." (If you were in Schuey's position, would you have a hard time getting back out of the car once Massa is ready to return?): "I don't know, I guess I can relate having been away (from IndyCar) for a year. But him (Schumacher) and Massa are good buddies, I'm sure he'll be delighted if he comes back."
WILL POWER (No. 12 Penske Truck Rental): "It's awesome. I will be really interested to see how it goes. Obviously he's been out of the car a long time, there will be no expectation for him to go out and win the first race. But, it's great for the sport and will be great to see what he does when he gets back in the car." (You've been in and out of the car this season, but here's a guy who hasn't raced for several years. How tough will it be for Schuey to get acclimated?): "For a guy like him, it will be like getting on a bike and jumping straight in. He'll be quick. You get to a certain point in your career where you can get in at any time and be fast, even if you have had six months or 12 months. That's going to be a tough call for driver fitness, but he's a very, very fast guy."
ROBERT DORNBOS (No. 06 Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, raced against Schumacher in F1 in 2005-2006): "I'm really surprised. I hope he will do very well, I think he will. He doesn't know the car that they are running this year. I read this morning that they sent a letter to all the teams to get permission for him to test the car of this year. I think he will do great, he's a legend. Actually, I bet he will do much better than (Current Ferrari drivers Felipe) Massa and (Kimi)Raikkonen."