Schumacher only considering Ferrari option

The seven-time world champion is expected to decide within the next two months about whether he wants to remain in F1, and his manager Willi Weber revealed last week that Renault were interested in a deal.

But speaking in The Times, Schumacher played down any talk of him moving to another team - and he claims he sees no reason why he will not stay on with Ferrari.

"It is very likely that I would stay with the colour red," he said. "There are obviously other options but at this stage, I won't consider them. Why should I?

"I am so happy here. We have such a good relationship and we have known each other for so long that I would have to have a very good reason to move to another team.

"It is more complex than just considering myself. There are a lot of other factors that are very important, such as whether the team is competitive and what other things are going on and I need to verify those."

Although Schumacher's eventual decision about staying with Ferrari will likely depend on the competitiveness of the team, the German has said he has no complaints about the current 248 F1 despite a troubled start to the campaign.

"People have quoted me as saying that Imola could be the crucial race, but that's not the case," he added. "I foresee a lot of potential in the fight for the championship, particularly with the speed of our car and what is coming in terms of development.

"This championship hasn't gone away. We might need a bit of luck sometimes, but I am hoping we have had our ration of bad luck already."