Schumi to Return?

http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=41362 Former champ tips Schu to race again Thursday, 29, November, 2007, 13:53

Former world champion Alan Jones believes Michael Schumacher’s return to the cockpit of a Formula 1 Ferrari in testing may whet his appetite for a full-time racing comeback. The 38-year-old German retired from F1 competition at the end of 2006 but showed he had lost none of his peerless skills when he took part in the post-season Barcelona test earlier this month and set the fastest time on both days he ran. Schumacher is set to test the Ferrari again at Jerez next week, but has ruled out a race return, insisting his decision to retire is “irrevocable”. But Jones, who retired from F1 in 1981 and subsequently reversed his decision, reckons Schumacher may find the temptation to race again too difficult to resist. “After nearly a year out of the saddle, I can image him thinking, ‘Maybe I’d like to have another go,’” Jones told this week’s Autosport magazine. “It must be just like coming back from an extended Christmas break. “He used to take a couple of months off at the end of each season, so another few months won't make a big difference. Two or three years might have done. “It’s a win-win situation: Ferrari gains from his expertise and he enjoys it. “And you can never rule out a comeback – he might be thinking, ‘I’m really enjoying this!’ “Money won't be his motivation; it will be to prove a point. “Niki Lauda was out for several seasons and came back and won the title. Michael could do the same.” Jones doesn’t think Schumacher’s age or the fact that he has been out of F1 for a year will prevent him being fully competitive. “You don’t stop being a good racing driver in just 10 months,” he said. “Michael didn’t go to bed one night and forget to drive a Formula 1 car – the only thing he might have lost is motivation, not ability.” Schumacher’s former rival Mika Hakkinen says the seven-time champion will have been buoyed by his undiminished pace. “Is he missing racing? The answer is probably yes,” said Hakkinen. “Doing competitive lap times probably satisfies his feeling and he’s happy he is still competitive.”