Pundits round on Schu after ‘blackest lap’ in Canada
The 41-year-old German had already had difficult moments in 2010, but in Montreal – an event he has won a record seven times – he qualified 13th and on Sunday had a calamitous and pointless race.
"I think Schumacher has driven appallingly today," said Martin Brundle, one of Schumacher's former Benetton teammates, who now commentates for the BBC.
The Briton was referring to Schumacher being overtaken by Sebastien Buemi, both Force Indias on the last lap, and separate clashes with Robert Kubica and Felipe Massa that Brundle referred to as "naughty".
"You have to treat the back of Schumacher's car like the back of a donkey," added Brundle. "This is Schumacher's worst weekend since he came back."
The usually highly partisan German daily Bild newspaper agreed, describing Canada 2010 as 'Schumi's blackest lap'.
"Schumacher was humiliated in his comeback season like never before," the report added.
Eddie Jordan, who gave Schumacher his initial F1 debut in 1991, commented: "The big story (of Canada) was that Michael Schumacher did not even make the top 10.
"That's a big, big concern about the Michael Schumacher comeback."
Former rival David Coulthard pointed out that, in his prime, Schumacher's talents always shined on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
"In all honesty he looked a shadow of his former self on Sunday," the Scot wrote in his latest column for the Telegraph.
"I'm not beating up on Michael. But what is wrong with him? If I had to guess I would say it is F1 that has changed."
Coulthard refers not only to today's harder and thinner tires, but also the V8 engines and 18,000rpm rev limit, offering "no torque".