Michael Schumacher is not ruling out staying in formula one beyond the end of his current contract.<\/p>\n
Mercedes’ Norbert Haug at the weekend said he can imagine teaming up with the famous seven time world champion in 2013 “If Michael wants it and we can agree on a right price”.<\/p>\n
Schumacher’s manager Sabine Kehm responded to Bild newspaper: “Of course we are open to discussions, because with the team we feel very good.<\/p>\n
“Michael is totally motivated and is able to give F1 a lot more,” she added.<\/p>\n
By the end of 2013, Schumacher will be approaching his 45th birthday, but the great German’s doctor Johannes Peil said age is not an obstacle.<\/p>\n
“Michael is so fit,” he insisted, “he could still be driving at 50.”<\/p>\n
Perhaps the key to Schumacher’s willingness to re-sign beyond 2012 is the better performance of the Mercedes team, following a disappointing return to F1 last year.<\/p>\n
Until very recently, the new W02 was a second off the pace but last week at Barcelona “We made the big step we had calculated”, admitted a relieved Haug.<\/p>\n
“We took a giant step forwards,” confirmed Schumacher’s teammate Nico Rosberg, who admitted that Schumacher’s best laptime in Barcelona with the upgrade package showed that the W02 is “very fast”.<\/p>\n
“Even if the time was with low fuel, it surprised us.\u00a0 And many others, I am sure,” said Red Bull’s reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel.<\/p>\n
But Haug told the SID news agency: “I don’t see us as the favourites; that is going to take a while yet.”<\/p>\n
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