Andretti: Schumacher could race at 50

Schumacher, the oldest driver on the Formula One grid in 2005 at the age of 36, will turn 37 next January but has a year of his contract with Ferrari left to run and has hinted that he could go on racing if he feels he is competitive.

65-year old Andretti, the World Champion in 1978, retired from Formula One in 1982, but he continued racing in the United States until he was 54.

The American believes Schumacher could go on racing if he is mentally ready, as he believes the German would not have physical problems.

"If Schumacher wants to, he can race in F1 until he's fifty," Andretti told Autosprint. "It's not a physical problem nor a mental one, it's just about motivations. Through the years your brain might become less reactive, but your greater experience helps you.

"When I got on pole at Monza at 41 years old (in 1982) I drove a scorbutic and difficult car with 1,100 horsepower, but if I didn't have problems in the race with the turbo I would have won the Grand Prix. Obviously some extreme performances can't be reached if you aren't at the top physically and mentally, and at Monza I still was.

"I quit at the end of 1994, when I was 54, not for physical reasons but because I was tired: with the arrival of Nigel Mansell at the Newman-Haas team, the atmosphere got bad.

"A few months after retiring I realized I made a mistake, as I really only needed some rest. I mixed up the tiredness of the moment with the desire to quit racing, and that was an error I still regret.

"Nowadays drivers retire at 35, as if it was the rule, but it all depends on the motivations of each driver. To stay on top, motor racing must remain the number one priority, like a religion and a philosophy of life which comes before anything else: money and family affections.

"If Schumacher keeps this mental condition, and considering his excellent physical preparation, then he could race for ten more years at the top. It's just a matter of desire and priorities."