Having been around for a few years and being a bright guy, Michael Schumacher knows better than most how the media works. It's with some surprise therefore that his name has been in the news recently, at least for something other than speculation over his future.

If one is willing to trust the headlines it would seem the great German has been critical of Pirelli, a seemingly lone voice in the paddock. Pirelli has scoffed at his statements, his teammate has openly disagreed with them and even his team has come out with a different opinion.

Let's face it, at 42 years of age Michael is no spring chicken. He is not as fast as he once was and has played second fiddle to his spritely teammate Nico Rosberg so far this season. To suggest a degree of sour grapes however would not be fair, and is not in keeping with the Michael Schumacher we've all seen and come to know throughout his career.

For example, on the way to his first title in 1994 he was banned for two races. Rather than sulking he came back and did what needed to be done and clinched the title by a point in the final race. There will be those who will point to the incident in Adelaide that year and cry foul play, though that is a view I cannot share. I was standing on that corner on that day and watched the incident unfold before me, though entering that discussion now is to stray from my point.

In 1996 he joined Ferrari which at that time was struggling. It hadn't won a Constructors Championship since 1982 or a driver's title since 1979. That debut season was tough going but again rather than complaining he knuckled down and worked to improve the car and the team. A few short years later he'd helped transform Maranello's steaming red lumps into an unstoppable steamroller. It was an unparalleled accomplishment.

Since his return in 2010 it's fair to say Schumacher's form has not been what it once was. He's tripped over slower cars and been involved in far too many incidents that a driver of his calibre should have. For a man who has won 91 Grands Prix it would be easy to suggest that it couldn't possibly be his ability and blame someone or something else, and yet for more than two years he hasn't.

This year both he and Mercedes look more competitive, demonstrated perfectly by Rosberg's Chinese Grand Prix win. Schumacher looked good for a strong result until a pitstop mistake forced him to retire. He also retired in Australia with a gearbox problem and has just two points against his name so far this season.

For the last week however the German has faced a barrage of criticism as a result of comments he made to the press regarding tyres. Many corners of the media have implied the German is looking to Pirelli as a scapegoat yet that is not in keeping with his character. I do not for a moment believe the German to be whinging.

Journalists can ask questions to prompt a desired response, generally to create a headline, and that seems to have been what has happened over the last week or so. Schumacher has been asked a question and he gave an answer. The comments have been twisted and shoe-horned in to a headline to read as though he was blaming his lack of results on Pirelli when he was in fact making an observation.

The point the seven-time champion is making is not that tyre management or degradation should be eliminated from Formula One but that the current tyres prevent drivers maximising their own and their cars abilities. Schumacher is suggesting that tyre management has become too important and that drivers are now forced to race as though in an endurance event rather than a Grand Prix.

Had he suggested that aerodynamics play too much a part of modern racing we would have all agreed. Similarly had he suggested the latest generation of circuits are boring and stale we'd have also agreed. Agreeable comments do not breed headlines.

The simple point Schumacher is attempting to make - in a language which is not his native tongue - is that perhaps tyres are now too important. It's a view that seems to have rubbed most people up the wrong way.

I cannot say I share Schumacher's opinion but I am not in a position to argue it. He has driven Formula One cars with great success and has experienced the current tyres. I have not. We, the uneducated masses, are in no position to question Schumacher or criticise him for his opinion as we've no experience or knowledge with which to provide a cohesive argument.

Before we believe the headlines we must first accept that we've no first-hand experience of what Schumacher is saying. We must also understand he's voicing an opinion outside of his native language and so his words may read differently to the intended meaning. Therefore to attack Schumacher the way he has been in recent days is unfair.

Instead his comments should be taken as they were intended, as an opinion on how the tyres have changed the dynamic within the car. There is no debate that the racing aspect of Formula One has improved since Pirelli's involvement. Schumacher's comments do not suggest that the tyres are dangerous or poor, just that they have changed the way Formula One drivers are racing.