Schumacher considers F1 return

(GETTY IMAGES)

Michael Schumacher has not ruled out the possibility of standing in for injured Ferrari Formula One driver Felipe Massa although a comeback is highly unlikely, the retired champion's spokeswoman said yesterday.

"In these circumstances he would want to consider it and not categorically say no," said Sabine Kehm.

Ferrari's official spokesman, Luca Colajanni, also refused to rule out the possibility of 40-year-old Schumacher, now an advisor at Maranello, making a return to the sport he retired from in 2006. "We have said before that it is possible that Michael Schumacher could return to help us out," he said.

"However, we have two test drivers at Ferrari [Luca Badoer and Marc Gene] at the moment and Michael is an adviser. We have not spoken to him, but it is possible that this might happen. But we will have to wait and see what happens. It is something for [Ferrari team principal] Stefano Domenicali to consider over the coming weeks. We need to see how Felipe is and the situation will evolve from there. We are not in any hurry, the first and foremost thing is Felipe's recovery."

However, the seven-times world champion's manager Willi Weber dismissed the possibility of the 40-year-old racing again. "Michael will not sit in a car in Valencia. This is out of the question," he told Germany's SID news agency. The next race is in Spain on 23 August but Massa could be out for much, if not all, of the rest of the season.