Schuey wants search for Bernie's successor

And the Ferrari ace warned that allowing the car manufacturers to buy a controlling interest in the sport may not make things easier. But Schumacher says there is no need to rush into a decision over replacing the F1 ringmaster who has built the sport into what it is.

Ecclestone has said he will run F1 for the next five years, but has made no commitment either way beyond that.

The car manufacturers are trying to buy a shareholding in SLEC - the company formed by Ecclestone which owns the sport's promotional rights - so that they can have a significant say in the sport's future.

Currently, Ecclestone has a 25 percent stake in SLEC, with German media giants Kirch and EMTV holding a majority 75 percent share.

The manufacturers also want the power to veto any potential move to take F1 off terrestrial television and exclusively into pay-per-view - something which Kirch denies it plans to do.

"Bernie has been the right person and he will be around for quite a while and he will continue to do things," said Schumacher in Imola. "But we must see who can replace him."

F1 is living under a threat from the manufacturers to set up a rival series if they cannot cut a sensible deal over control of the sport with Kirch and EMTV. But Schumacher believes the lessons from other series - like the US-based CART and Indy Racing League, which have fragmented - are lessons for Grand Prix racing to learn.

"There is experience from other series where it has happened and it has not made the situation easier - actually it has made it more complicated," he said.

"We're at a different level, so I don't know. It would be the first experience ever in Formula 1 if it [a breakaway] did happen. We have to [wait and] find out, and we have to see if it would work.

"Formula 1 is doing well and obviously the manufacturers are interested in this kind of development," he added. "It will be interesting to see how it develops."