MARCH 13, 2000

Schumacher - four more years in F1?

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER says that he is definitely going to keep racing for the next four or five years and will then decide if he wants to continue beyond that.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER says that he is definitely going to keep racing for the next four or five years and will then decide if he wants to continue beyond that. The German says that he will stay with Ferrari. "When I was younger I needed to change girlfriends and fall in love again to keep my motivation," he commented "but then I met Corinna and settled down. It's the same with Ferrari. I wanted to be part of the team, and we're happy together.

"We need to have a constantly good car. For the past four years I have had to push myself over the limit to get results. If the F1-2000 and later versions are good enough, I could stay on the limit all the time, without ever having to go beyond it. So I would be more consistent and safer."

In a long interview with the French daily sports newspaper L'Equipe, Schumacher said that no-one in racing knows what he is really like. "While you are racing, it is impossible to reveal yourself," he said. "Nobody knows who the real MichaelÊSchumacher is. I would not like the image of being this cold German who does anything to win, even being unsportsmanlike. Despite everything that has happened, I don't think that's who I am. I would like people to realize that I'm as human as the rest of the world."