Schumacher had been thinking about a return for years

In a Q&A posted at the official Formula 1 site with Mercedes drivers Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher, one answer from the seven-time champ really stands out:

Q: When Ross contacted you in November, did you know what was it all about right away?
MS: Yes, because quite honestly, we had been almost every year in contact. When he went to Honda at the time, he sort of suggested that there was an option, but I wasn’t ready for it. We always kept in contact, and saw each other at the races and we had loose contact – sometimes it was a serious question from him and sometimes it was a joke. In Abu Dhabi, he sort of touched already a little bit about this subject, but not deeply. We were just celebrating mainly, and then he called me. Knowing that he calls me at this time of the year, and you know what is going on in the business, you knew what was going to be his question.

That’s the first time I’ve seen that… and in many ways it seriously changes my reaction to Schumacher’s return. If he’d been contemplating coming back, however seriously, for a few years, my guess is he’s in better shape and better prepared than skeptics might think. This isn’t, in other words, a bit of a whim, with possibly comical results.

Does this response alter your perceptions of Schumacher’s comeback? I wonder, too, if it might make Nick Heidfeld think twice about joining the Mercedes team as a reserve driver. The nagging thought in the back of my head that Schumacher’s return would be a failure is starting to fade.

Reactions? Is it just a smart media play on Michael’s part? Am I overreacting here?