Schumacher canceled his comeback to Formula 1

Michael Schumacher decided to come back to the Formula 1 replacing the injured Felipe Massa at the European Grand Prix in Valencia on 23 August.

The 40 year old driver retired at the end of 2006 after seven champion titles in the Formula 1 and after winning 91 races in 250 starts in a 15 year career. Since then, Schumacher raced occasionally just in motorcycle series. Schumacher suffered a neck injury in a motorcycle accident in February and apparently aggravated it while trying out a F1 car as he prepared his comeback.

This injury stopped him from returning to the F1 races and forced Ferrari to find a replacement for Massa in a very short time. Ferrari named Luca Badoer as Kimi Raikkonen's team-mate for the Valencia Grand Prix.

Luca Badoer, a 38-year-old Italian, is Ferrari test driver for ten years. He started 49 races for Scuderia Italia, Minardi and Forti, without scoring a point, between 1993 and 1999, when he retired early from the 1999 Japanese Grand Prix. He is returning to races after a long absence but is he will not disappoint Ferrari. Badoer said that racing for Ferrari it’s a dream come true.

The drivers and of the Formula 1 2009 Championship enjoy the mid-season break before the European Grand Prix in Valencia on 23 August. The final driver and constructors standings are not very predictable as you can see from the following tables that include the mid-season official Formula 1 standings for drivers and constructors with their odds at Ladbrokes:

 The second half of the Formula 1 season seems to be an exciting one so it will be interesting to watch.