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Michael Schumacher tipped for Mercedes team role if he retires from Formula 1

Ross Brawn has not ruled out the possibility of Michael Schumacher moving into a management role at Mercedes if he elects to retire from driving

Schumacher's Formula 1 future has been the subject of much speculation at the Italian Grand Prix amid claims from former team boss Eddie Jordan that Lewis Hamilton is to replace him next year.

The seven-time champion insists that his plans to sort his future out in October are unchanged - while Mercedes has also insisted that it has not finalised its 2013 line-up.

However, speaking about Schumacher's future in Italy, Mercedes team principal Brawn said a management switch was not out of the question, while underlining it was not yet on the agenda.

"It is possible," he said. "In terms of what role Michael would play in the future, we are not discussing that in detail because that is not a consideration at the moment, but Michael's experience of motor racing, and his judgement and so on, would be an asset to any team.

"I am not sure he wants a day-to-day commitment that some of us do, but he would like to stay involved. He loves the sport, he loves racing, and he loves developing the cars, and seeing how the team works.

"I can full well see in the future that he would retain a strong interest and that will come one day, and I do hope it will be with us."

Brawn said a final decision on Schumacher's future did not rest solely with the driver.

"I don't think it [the decision] is his alone," he said. "We have to go to find a solution together. I can't honestly go into details, but it is not Michael's decision to stay, it is not our decision for him to stay. It is a joint decision."

He added: "I think Michael has a huge amount of offer. When you saw his driving in Spa, it was a great performance in Spa but perhaps not with as strong a car as we wanted.

"He has had lots of performances like that this year, so I am very happy with Michael's performance, and with these technical challenges we are going to face, particularly in 2014, someone of Michael's experience and calibre will be a great asset to any team, particularly our team."

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