Rolf Schumacher once told his son to quit formula one when someone quicker came onto the scene.
But Michael, now the oldest driver on the grid and last year relieved as champion by Fernando Alonso, denies that his father’s advice should now be followed.
”Fortunately that situation has not yet occurred,” 37-year-old Schumacher said in an interview with ‘Die Zeit’ newspaper in Germany.
The Ferrari driver’s current contract expires at the end of the year, but all signs are pointing towards a new two-year deal for ‘Schumi’.
He will announce his decision at Monza, thus discarding speculation that whether or not he will continue has anything to do with winning an eighth title in 2006.
”My decision is about other factors,” Schumacher explained, adding that even as a child he was always constantly occupied with endeavours such as go-karts.
He does, however, admit that – with seven titles under his belt – he takes less risks on the track than he used to.
”Now, if I notice that something is not 100 per cent right with the car, I will come into the pits,” Schumacher said.
”In earlier years I would probably have gone on.”
Schumacher wasn’t even a particular formula one fan in his pre-grand prix days. In 1990, just a year before debuting for Jordan and Benetton, he bought a ticket and stood among the massed horn-blowing Hockenheim ranks.
”After a short time I had no idea what position anyone was in, and it was too loud for me anyway. So I left.”
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