This is exactly what is happening in F1 since it was announced that Schumi will be filling in for Felipe Massa at until Massa is fit to race again, which probably means for the rest of the 2009 season.

This shows great loyalty on the part of Schumacher, but shows how messed up F1 is. People like Hamilton, Webber, and Button are all saying the right things. That it will be "good for the sport", a great challenge "to compete against him", etc., but who's the star here? Even if Schumi was the greatest of all time, he won't be (or at least shouldn't be) the greatest now.

It makes one realize how much F1 must be longing for a not-so-distant past, when the news came from the track and not the courts. And maybe this time around, the same way the French finally appreciated Lance Armstrong in this year's tour, F1 will properly appreciate Schumi.