Hakkinen: Schumacher will race again

By Jonathan Noble Saturday, October
21st 2006, 17:12 GMT



Two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen
believes it will not be long before
Michael Schumacher returns to racing.

The 37-year-old German Ferrari driver
will retire from Formula One following
the end of this weekend's Brazilian
Grand Prix, after 15 years in the sport.


Hakkinen, who left Formula One at the
end of the 2001 season but returned to
racing in the DTM series in 2005,
believes Schumacher will soon feel the
need to race again.

"I had a few years off after F1 and I
recharged my batteries," Hakkinen, 38,
told reporters in Brazil. "And I had a
great time. Time with family, time with
friends, time to travel the world
without the pressure of going to races.


"Then it came the time when I started
missing racing again and I put myself in
order, focusing on the racing, and went
to the DTM.

"You are asking me whether Michael will
come back to racing?  My opinion,
is that racing is in our blood. We know
we are good at racing and if we are
physically and psychologically fit then
we can do racing.

"I feel inside myself that I don't think
I could be without racing because it is
a great passion and a great thing that I
have.

"In my opinion Michael will come back to
racing, but which category and when I
don't know. You will have to ask him. My
opinion is simply that he will one day."


Schumacher will be replaced by Finn Kimi
Raikkonen at Ferrari, as the Italian
squad aim to continue winning without
the German star.


Hakkinen believes Raikkonen's arrival
had nothing to do with Schumacher's
retirement, and the former world
champion reckons the seven-time champion
was not afraid of the young Finn.

"I think Michael is a fighter and he
doesn't think whoever is his teammate he
will be going on the limit," Hakkinen
added. "So if Kimi would have come to
Ferrari at the same time that Michael
was there, I don't think that had
anything to do with Michael's decision.
That is my opinion."