Grapevine: Schumacher-Shell ad misinterpreted

Schumacher was taking part in an advertisement for the oil company, filmed at a petrol station in Switzerland. The seven times world champion, who is retiring from Formula One racing next month, was working with other Ferrari-clad mechanics in what looked like a typical F1 pitstop - but at a regular Shell gas station.

However, a photographer passing by caught Schumacher and the mechanics servicing a Renault Megane and a Nissan car, leading Gazzetta dello Sport to speculate that there may be a commercial tie-in between the Renault company (which also owns Nissan), Shell and Schumacher after the German is no longer contractually tied to rival carmaker Fiat.

However, Renault has no commercial ties with Shell, as the company's official oil partner is Shell's rival Elf, and a spokesman for the company emphasized there was no collaboration from the French car maker in these ads.

Shell too dismissed all speculations of a possible Schumacher-Renault commercial tie-in, saying photos were wrongly interpreted by the newspapers.

"It's just a coincidence that these cars were there (at the ad's filming location); there is no connection to Renault for this ad," Shell's global sponsorship manager Alberto Friedrich told autosport.com.

"It's a pity that this story came out like this - some bystander took photos, it wasn't open to the media - because it's misleading.

"There is nothing behind it, and these are just old cars that were there - they won't be in the final ad anyway."