Schumacher back up to speed
Injured Ferrari ace Michael Schumacher got back behind the wheel of his Ferrari this morning, immediately matching the pace set by team-mate Eddie Irvine.
The German has not driven a Formula One car since July 11 at Silverstone, where he crashed and broke his right leg.
He completed 18 laps in his Ferrari at the Mugello track in Rome, recording the quickest time of 1.28.680.
A spokesman for the Maranello-based team confirmed that Irvine had not been able to go any faster than Schumacher, instead he recorded an identical time.
Schumacher will continue testing this afternoon, alongside Irvine and his stand-in Mika Salo.
With his blistering pace, it looks increasingly likely that the double world champion will return to the cockpit of his Ferrari in time for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa next weekend.
Schumacher could still be in with a chance of the championship if he returns next weekend.
He currently lies 22 points behind Hakkinen, and 24 points behind Irvine, with five races left in this year's championship.
If McLaren suffer more reliability problems, Schumacher could find himself back in the title chase.
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