Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche, the head of Mercedes-Benz, insisted yesterday the low-key return of ex-world champion Michael Schumacher has not been a disappointment for Mercedes GP.

Schumacher, 41, finished ninth in the 2010 World Drivers’ Championship while compatriot Sebastian Vettel, from Red Bull, was crowned the youngest world champion.

Schumacher’s Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg finished seventh with 142 points, nearly double Schumacher’s tally of 72.

But Zetsche has insisted the former champion’s return to Grand Prix racing has not disappointed the boss of the German car manufacturers.

“He has not disappointed us,” the 57-year-old Zetsche told German daily Bild.

“We need to provide him with the car that will allow him to show his capabilities.”

Having ended his three-year retirement to return to F1, Schumacher finished fourth on two occasions last season. He won the last of his seven world titles in 2004.

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