Schu: Max tough to replace

Speaking ahead of this weekend's French Grand Prix, Schumacher admitted his surprise at Mosley's decision to step down from his role as the chief of the sport's governing body in October.

"It's obviously quite surprising news," said Schumacher. "I think Max has been very good in what he has done. There have been times when maybe I haven't agreed with him but in general for the sport he has achieved a lot - in terms of safety and in terms of the reputation of Formula 1.

"He has been very active and a hard worker, so it will be interesting [to see] who is going to replace him, whether we are going to have an improvement or not. But it will be difficult to replace Max in my view."

Schumacher's Ferrari team principal Jean Todt has been linked with replacing Mosley in the long term. In his preview to the French GP, his 11th anniversary of joining Ferrari, Todt just happened to allude to his credentials for taking on such a role and hinted that he always has his eye on future developments.

"The totality of what I have done in motor racing has been exceptional," said Todt. "I have been a rally co-driver, I was the boss of a rally team that I established, then came rally raid, sports cars and now Formula 1. For someone who likes racing, it is fantastic.

"I have been lucky to always have something ahead of me, so without undervaluing what has happened in the past, I am concentrated on the present and the future, with a constant anxiety to ensure things go well. That prevents me from being satisfied with what has gone before."

However, whether the timing is right for him to take over from Mosley at such short notice remains to be seen.