Ralf poised for Renault switch

German tabloid Bild reported in its Tuesday edition that Schumacher will join the French manufacturer next year, presumably replacing Jarno Trulli alongside its young starlet Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard finished third in Sunday's Australian Grand Prix, one place ahead of Schumacher.

"Every point of the contract has already been discussed," Weber, who also manages Ralf's six-time world champion brother Michael, was quoted as saying in Bild. "The signing of the contract is now a mere formality."

Schumacher, who journeyed from Melbourne to Dubai following Sunday's grand prix, was in an elusive mood when asked about a possible switch: "We will make a decision in the next days. We can be surprised."

Ralf has already said that he is prepared to quit Williams should it not suggest agreeable terms beyond the end of this season.

"Even if me and my manager Willi Weber would find it hard to leave behind our friends at BMW, there's a chance it could happen," said Schumacher last month. "It would be sad, but I can't allow myself to be treated like that by Williams. I'm not frustrated, but I find it hard to understand certain things that have happened these past few months."

Speaking in Melbourne at the weekend, BMW Motorsport director Mario Theissen appeared already resigned to losing Schumacher Jr at the end of the season, saying it was not important that Williams has a German driver: "Having Ralf involved is not the first priority. We have always said that that is to get the two quickest drivers we can. BMW is globally operated and when we go to 16 of the 18 races, every one of us is a foreigner! And that applies to the drivers as well, so it's not that important."