Schumacher too old says Renault director

RENAULT managing director Flavio Briatore has become the latest Formula One figure to criticise seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher.

The legendary 36-year-old Ferrari driver is the oldest in this year’s competition and has made a poor start, trailing Fernando Alondo by 34 points.

“I admire his successes. I celebrated his first world title with him 11 years ago, but he’s too old,” Briatore said.

Eddie Irvine and Schumacher’s brother, Ralf, have also been critical of him.

Irvine claimed Schumacher’s reign as Formula One’s dominant force was at an end, while Ralf insisted there was no way his brother could win this year’s championship.

Briatore cast question marks over Schumacher’s desire for more success, even pointing to last season’s march to the championship. “Last season, while Michael was driving from victory to victory, I didn’t have the impression that he was enjoying himself much,” he observed.

The man himself is in confident but realistic mood as he returns to Monaco, where he won five times between 1994 and 2001, leaving him only one short of the great Ayrton Senna’s record for the race.

“I have so many fond memories, I always enjoy coming here,” he said.

“It will be difficult for us this time, because the position on the starting grid at Monaco is somewhat decisive for the outcome of the race, and this has clearly been a bit of a weakness of ours lately.”

Schumacher only gleaned 10 points from the opening five races and tyre punctures forced him into his third retirement of the season in Barcelona.

“There are always ups and downs,” he added” “We were doing extremely well for an unusually long period of time, and now we’re having to struggle a little bit.”