Schuey: not most popular in personality stakes

The triple world champ, who ended a 21-year drought for Ferrari by taking the drivers' title for the Maranello outfit, was voted as Germany's third most popular sports personality behind 800m Olympic gold medallist Nils Schumann and cyclist Jan Ullrich.

The popularity of F1 in Germany is higher than ever and German television audiences for Grands Prix outnumbered those watching football this year for the first time. However Schumacher's efforts appear to have been overshadowed by the country's Olympiads.

In consolation however, Schumacher was voted ADAC's motorsport personality of the year for the second time. The 31-year-old was unable to attend the award ceremony due to the recent operation on his leg, but in a pre-recorded acceptance speech, he hinted at how arduous his third world championship year had been.

"I am sorry for not being there myself, but I hope you will understand," said Schumacher. "I would like to continue driving races for another couple of years, and therefore it is very important for me that I take some time off to regenerate."

Also winning prizes at the weekend was Benetton's new test driver Mark Webber who was presented with the Bruce McLaren award by McLaren boss Ron Dennis at the BRDC awards on Saturday. The Australian received the prize for the most impressive performance by a Commonwealth driver for his achievements in Formula 3000 this year, including a race win at Silverstone.

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