Schumi feels safe in F1 - 1st July 20:26pm GMT

After Barrichello, it was Michael Schumacher’s turn to step into the media motorhome to meet the press. Naturally, the first topic was the condition of his brother Ralf. 'I spoke to him yesterday and he was in good spirits,' said the reigning world champion. 'He was surprised at the news (Ralf has fractured vertebrae following his Indy crash) but now he can prepare in the right fashion. Everyone knows he is a good driver, so he has nothing to prove and he can take his time. I did the same after I broke my leg in '99, only coming back when I was completely ready. We are brothers so I guess we have a similar approach. But we are only brothers, not twins!'

On the subject of F1 safety, Schumacher was in favour of reducing the speed of the cars: 'but it must be done in a correct and sensible manner to improve safety. It might take some drastic steps on the part of the teams and the FIA. We must make sure any changes take us in the right direction, improving safety but also the sport – for example increasing overtaking opportunities. F1 should be made safer and better.' On the mental aspects of racing, the Ferrari man reckoned he could speak for all drivers when he said that, 'we don't think of the danger, except when we come close to having an accident. Then you get a rush of adrenalin. But generally, we feel safe in what we do because we have good safety around us, not like in motor bike racing for example. We try and drive right to the limit, not over it.'

News broke today that Max Mosley plans to step down from his role as President of the FIA at the end of this coming October. 'Max has been very good in what he has done,' declared Michael. 'There have been times when I have not agreed with him, but he has achieved a lot in terms of safety and the reputation of Formula 1. He is very active and a hard worker. I think Max will be hard to replace.'