Motorsport
Schumacher only to continue in F1 if Ferrari have a decent car
By DPA
Jan 7, 2006, 15:01 GMT

Hamburg - Record world champion Michael Schumacher will only continue his Formula One career beyond this year if his Ferrari team provides him with a competitive car.

'The car must be competitive. If I don't have the chance to win races and fight for the title then I don't think I will be keen to continue my career,' Schumacher told Der Spiegel news magazine in a report made available ahead of Monday's publication.

Schumacher, 37, said he will decide about his future in summer. His contract at Ferrari ends after the 2006 season.

Schumacher is a seven-time world champion and has achieved many other milestones in F1 racing, but last season he had to settle for third place with just one season win - the U.S. Grand Prix where only three teams competed because of tyres concerns among the others.

Schumacher urged Ferrari to do their best to close the gap again on Renault with world champion Fernando Alonso and McLaren-Mercedes with runner-up Kimi Raikkonen.

'If we want progress we need more staff. You can not afford a standstill in Formula One. I want to know where Ferrari is heading,' Schumacher told Der Spiegel.

Schumacher admitted to personal mistakes as well in what he named a catastrophic 2005 season, but said he has now trained as hard and even skipped his regular December holiday to be in the best shape for the new season which starts on March 12 in Bahrain.

'It's been a long time since I have been this motivated to drive again,' Schumacher said.