Schuey vows to race on

When Michael Schumacher announced he would be holding a press conference on the first day of testing at Monza today (Wednesday), speculation mounted that the newly-crowned World Champion had decided to hang up his helmet after clinching his seventh title in Belgium last Sunday

Instead the Ferrari driver reassured (or perhaps disappointed?) the assembled press by making it clear that he had no intention of leaving the sport he loves in the near future.

"Apparently I'm supposed to announce my retirement here, but that is not the case," he said.

"I love the sport, it's in my blood to compete and to fight, to try and beat my opponents and win," he added. "That's just what I'm living for in a way, as long as I can live that dream, I want to live it."

"Let's see how the competitiveness is inside me. That's the important bit. As long as I'm competitive and able to fight with the young boys, I'm quite happy."

Today's press conference was rather an opportunity for the German to express his thoughts and thanks on his latest title after being considerably quiet on the matter following the race last Sunday when he was runner-up to McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen.

"Every championship is very different and in a way I was very thoughtful in Belgium, it was more of an inside celebration," he said. "Like in Suzuka last year, there was no immediate celebration. I had mixed feelings really with my second place, I wasn't really sure how to take it."

Schumacher admitted that it would take some time for his success to sink in. "I am not the type of person who thinks about what I have achieved, but instead looks towards the next step," he said. "Occasionally I get questions, but I think what you have achieved takes time to think about it away from the sport, I don't think three months over the winter is long enough."