Grapevine: Schumacher takes family for a ride

The German driver took to the Italian track to give his wife Corinna, his father Rolf with his girlfriend Barbara Stahl, his spokeswoman Sabine Kehm, his manager Willi Weber, his physiotherapist Balbir Singh and a few members of the team a taste of a Formula One car.

"It was a very nice day, both for me and for all the people that came on the track with me," Schumacher told Gazzetta dello Sport. "Everyone had fun, also my engineers who know every small detail of the cars but not the thrill you feel inside them.

"The most exciting thing compared to the two-seaters is that here passengers have an open view and can better appreciate what's like to race on a real track with a real car, besides understanding what we racing drivers feel when we're at the wheel of cars like this.

"The nicest thing for me was seeing how everyone was enthusiastic about this experience."

However, the car developed hydraulics problems so not all guests were able to enjoy the experience, and Schumacher was forced to take some around on the new Ferrari FXX.