Highlights

Hockenheim may have seen last of Schumacher

(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-08-01 09:16

FRANKFURT, July 31- Even if Michael Schumacher continues in Formula One, Ferrari's seven times world champion is unlikely to be back at Hockenheim next year.

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone reiterated at the weekend's German Grand Prix that the country could not expect to continue with races every year at both Hockenheim and the Nuerburgring.

"Unfortunately there is no other way. We have so many requests from other countries that we can't have two races each year," he told Bild am Sonntag.

The likelihood is that the two circuits will alternate, with the Nuerburgring expected to be on the calendar in 2007 and Hockenheim in 2008.

However, the eventual naming of the race poses a potential sticking point, with the two races run by different organisations.

The AvD, that runs the race at Hockenheim, controls the rights to the title 'Grosser Preis von Deutschland' (German Grand Prix).

Whether Schumacher is around remains to be seen, with the 37-year-old being advised by his manager Willi Weber at the weekend to retire if he wins his record eighth world championship.

The prospects of that happening looked far more likely after the German's third win in a row on Sunday left him just 11 points adrift of Renault's Fernando Alonso with six races remaining.

Schumacher has said he will announce his decision about his future at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in September and not before. Some suspect it may not even be certain then.

"He certainly will never tell anybody (until then) because he needs the full team effort to try and win the championship against Alonso," said Ferrari's former champion Niki Lauda.

"Monza was an excuse to say 'let's delay it so the journalists don't ask'," he told Reuters.

"Michael will do anything not to demotivate the team. If the title is still going at Monza, he should logically not say anything. He should say 'Now I will think about it', that's what I would do."