Todt: Schumacher can Stay Indefinitely
Michael Schumacher will have a seat at the Ferrari team as long as he wants to drive in Formula One, team boss Jean Todt has said
"As long as he wants to stay in F1, he has a Ferrari car available to him," Todt said at Monza.
Schumacher's contract at Ferrari expires after the 2006 season, and the German seven-time World Champion said on Thursday that he will not make a decision about his future before next year.
Despite rumours linking Schumacher with a move to McLaren, Todt said the World Champion would want to stay at Ferrari if he keeps on racing beyond 2006.
"When Michael came to us he was only 25 and 11 years later he is still here," added Todt. "I don't know what he will decide. Michael was clear yesterday, he said his life in F1 was mainly linked to Ferrari.
"All the successes, five times World Champion with Ferrari, 65 GP wins for Ferrari... He wants to stay, if he decided to stay in F1. If Michael wants to stay he will stay.
"We are in August 2005, honestly it is too early. He is not prepared to discuss that. There is plenty of time."
Todt also said that talks about Kimi Raikkonen having signed a contract to join Ferrari in 2007 were wide of the mark, despite the Frenchman having praised the Finn's talent.
"When I get asked who is the most talented young guy, Kimi is definitely amongst them, no doubt about that. But just because a young driver has a lot of talent, you cannot say he has signed with Ferrari."
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
The 10 best Formula 1 drivers ever: Hamilton, Schumacher & more
Schumacher F1 watch collection could top $4 million in auction
The contrasting fortunes of F1's big-name moves to Ferrari
The plot twist that gave Arrow McLaren’s Ward his first IndyCar win as team principal
Formula E’s new Gen3 Evo car breaks cover
The weekly reality check that has kept MotoGP hype off of Acosta so far in 2024
F2 veteran Ghiotto to make IndyCar debut with Dale Coyne Racing at Barber
The F1 hero to zero dividing line that has never been so thin
How Stroll and Magnussen revealed the scale of F1’s racing and rules problems
Did F1's new sprint format work?
Chinese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2024
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments