(CNN) -- Michael Schumacher has been one of Pirelli's biggest critics this season, but Formula One's tire supplier has backed the seven-time world champion to end his long wait for a victory at Sunday's European Grand Prix. 

The 43-year-old, who has not finished on the podium since coming out of retirement in 2010, told CNN that dealing with the rapidly degrading rubber this year was like "driving on raw eggs." 

He has been outshone by Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg, but Pirelli's motorsport director Paul Hembery believes the German can perform well in Valencia, where he has failed to make the top-10 in two previous attempts. 

Schumacher did, however, top the qualifying times at another street circuit last month in Monaco, but started the race sixth due to a penalty and ended up retiring early -- as he did last time out in Canada. 

"I think you have to look at someone like, maybe Michael, getting the pole position," Hembery told F1's official website. 

"He probably would have won Monaco if he hadn't been penalized, so why not here? Michael for Valencia, that's where the money should go." 

Sauber chief: "F1 better than ever" 

Schumacher, who won 91 grands prix between 1992 and 2006, was penalized in Monte Carlo due to a collision with Bruno Senna at the Spanish Grand Prix. 

The former Ferrari driver has endured a miserable start to the 2012 season, collecting just two world championship points and retiring from five of the first seven races. Rosberg, meanwhile, is fifth on 67 points and clinched the first race win of his career in China.  What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. What athlete is mentioned?
2. What sport is he in?
3. Who has been critical of his driving?
4. Has Schumacher ever won a grand prix?
5. How many?
6. During what years?
7. Has he ever gotten in a wreck on the track?
8. Where?
9. With who?
10. Did he qualify anywhere recently?
11. When?
12. Where?
Answer: 1. Pirelli
2. racing
3. Michael Schumacher
4. yes
5. 91
6. between 1992 and 2006
7. yes
8. at the Spanish Grand Prix
9. Bruno Senna
10. yes
11. last month
12. in Monaco

Rio de Janeiro (; ; "River of January"), or simply Rio, is the second-most populous municipality in Brazil and the sixth-most populous in the Americas. The metropolis is anchor to the Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area, the second-most populous metropolitan area in Brazil and sixth-most populous in the Americas. Rio de Janeiro the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's third-most populous state. Part of the city has been designated as a World Heritage Site, named ""Rio de Janeiro: Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea"", by UNESCO on 1 July 2012 as a Cultural Landscape. 

Founded in 1565 by the Portuguese, the city was initially the seat of the Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro, a domain of the Portuguese Empire. Later, in 1763, it became the capital of the State of Brazil, a state of the Portuguese Empire. In 1808, when the Portuguese Royal Court transferred itself from Portugal to Brazil, Rio de Janeiro became the chosen seat of the court of Queen Maria I of Portugal, who subsequently, in 1815, under the leadership of her son, the Prince Regent, and future King João VI of Portugal, raised Brazil to the dignity of a kingdom, within the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and Algarves. Rio stayed the capital of the pluricontinental Lusitanian monarchy until 1822, when the War of Brazilian Independence began. This is one of the few instances in history that the capital of a colonising country officially shifted to a city in one of its colonies. Rio de Janeiro subsequently served as the capital of the independent monarchy, the Empire of Brazil, until 1889, and then the capital of a republican Brazil until 1960 when the capital was transferred to Brasília. What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. What municipality are we talking about?
2. When was it founded?
3. By whom?
4. Which ranking in population is it in the Americas?
5. What was it the seat of at first?
6. When did the War of Brazilian Independence start?
7. Of which empire was it a domain?
8. Where did the city become a capital of after that?
9. In what year?
10. Who moved to Brazil in 1808?
11. Whose court?
12. Who was leader when Brazil became a kingdom?
13. Within how many areas did he achieve this?
14. Name one.
15. Name another please.
16. Which is the last?
Answer: 1. Rio de Janeiro
2. 1565
3. Portuguese
4. sixth
5. court of Queen Maria I of Portugal
6. 1822
7. Portuguese Empire.
8. State of Brazil,
9. 1763
10. Portuguese Royal Court
11. Queen Maria I
12. João VI
13. Three
14. United Kingdom of Portugal,
15. Brazil,
16. Algarves

CHAPTER V 

OFF FOR WOODCRAFT 

Edward Muldoon, otherwise Sparrer, surreptitiously pinched himself to make sure that he was not dreaming. He, newsboy from the lower East Side of New York, who had never been farther from it than Coney Island, riding in a brilliantly lighted Pullman coach on his way into the great woods of which he had dreamed so much since he became a Scout, and of which he had only the vaguest idea! It couldn't be. 

And yet it was. The roar of the wheels told him that it was. The very feel of the luxurious seat in which he was sitting told him that it was. And to clinch the fact and at the same time make it harder to believe there were his three companions, Upton, his patrol leader, Harrison and Pat Malone, whom he had secretly made his hero. Yes, it was all true, and yet he couldn't get rid of the idea that sooner or later he would wake up and find it all a beautiful dream. 

The fact is, this trip was in the nature of a Christmas present. From their first meeting Pat had taken a great fancy to the street gamin. He recognized a kindred spirit. Instinctively he realized that the difference between Sparrer and himself at the same age was mainly one of environment. The youngster's sturdy independence and self-reliance, his quick wit, even his impudence, struck responsive chords in the young woodsman. Sparrer was what he himself would have been had his nursery been a New York East Side tenement instead of the log cabin of a mill settlement in the lumber district of the North Woods.  What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. Who is Sparrer
2. What did he do?
3. Why?
4. Where did he live?
5. What part?
6. What did he do to make money
7. Who was his secret hero?
8. Where was he going?
9. What was this trip?
10. From who?
11. Why?
12. Where was his nursery?
13. where?
14. in what district?
15. where?
16. What kind of coach were they in?
17. Who was with them also?
18. What were their names?
19. Who was Upton?
20. What is farthest Sparrer had gone before?
Answer:
1. Edward Muldoon
2. pinched himself
3. to make sure that he was not dreaming
4. New York
5. the lower East Side
6. He was a newsboy
7. Pat Malone
8. into the great woods
9. a Christmas present
10. Pat
11. Pat had taken a great fancy to him.
12. a log cabin
13. a mill settlement
14. the lumber district
15. the North Woods
16. a Pullman coach
17. his three companions
18. Upton, Harrison, and Pat
19. his patrol leader
20. Coney Island