Michael Schumacher has moved to quell recent speculation that he may be considering returning to competition in
Formula 1, by insisting that he is more than happy with his post grand prix life.
The German with a staggering seven world championship crowns, 91 race victories, 154 rostrum finishes and 1,369 points from 248 starts in the top flight is by far and away the most successful driver in
F1 history, and has kept his hand in since his retirement at the end of the 2006 campaign by continuing to test and act as a consultant for
Ferrari.
After revealing earlier this week, however, that he had only elected to hang up his helmet back then to save the career of team-mate
Felipe Massa with
Kimi Raikkonen's impending arrival at Maranello meaning something had to give [see separate story
click here] rumours began to circulate that the 39-year-old was considering a comeback, and the fact that his spokeswoman Sabine Kehm refused to comment only added to the mystery.
Now, however, Schumacher has spoken out to stress that a full-time return to active competition in the uppermost echelon is the last thing on his mind even though his testing times for Ferrari suggest he could still mix it with, and even beat, the best should he return.
I really love my new life, he underlined, in an interview with German magazine
Stern. It is the sort of freedom that I have always wanted.
I am not having any sort of secret thoughts about a F1 comeback. It is nice to feel that I could still do it if I wanted to, but now I would rather do my work in the background.
Have your say on whether you think 'Schumi' could still win against the likes of
Lewis Hamilton, Raikkonen, Massa,
Robert Kubica and
Fernando Alonso in F1 by
clicking here
