The Toyota F1 team confirmed reports Monday that Ralf Schumacher, the little brother of the seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, will leave the team at the end of the season. Someone sent me a link to the announcement earlier in the day along with a message that said "Schumacher's leaving Toyota." I was momentarily confused.
Wait a second, I thought, Schumacher never worked for Toyota. He's still consulting for Ferrari and preparing for his upcoming role as Bacardi's Global Social Responsibility Ambassador (it's not even a joke. Apparently even one of the highest-paid athletes in the world still can't buy dignity).
Then it hit me - it's Ralf. In my circle, we don't even refer to the lesser (although better-looking) German racing brother by his last name. He's just plain old Ralf.
Poor Ralf. After 51 races, he's still without a win in the Toyota F1 car. His last win (out of a total of six) was with Williams in July 2003. That guy has to have one heck of an inferiority complex.
According to an Associated Press article, Ralf wrote on his website, "After three years with Toyota, I've decided to look for a new challenge."
A new challenge? Maybe he'll attempt to join the ranks of Juan Pablo Montoya and go to NASCAR. After all, as our buddy JPM has proven, you can get fat and still fit in those cars. [via F1-Live]
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