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Schumacher Cancels F1 Return - Official!

Michael Schumacher will not come back to Formula One! It is now official! The German driver issued an official statement earlier today, in which he reckons the medical problems with his neck – following the motorcycle crash he sustained earlier this year – have prevented him from making his F1 return.

Schumacher admitted that he still feels a great deal of pain in his neck after conducting a 2-day test with the Ferrari F2007 at Mugello this week. He confirmed he will not step in for Felipe Massa, although he did not mention if this is a situation that's likely to last for the entire 2009 season or only for Valencia.

“Yesterday evening, I had to inform Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo and team principal Stefano Domenicali that unfortunately I'm not able to step in for Felipe. I really tried everything to make that temporary comeback possible, however, much to my regret it didn't work out
,” admitted Schu.

Unfortunately we did not manage to get a grip on the pain in the neck which occurred after the private F1-day in Mugello, even if medically or therapeutically we tried everything possible.”

"The consequences of the injuries caused by the bike-accident in February, fractures in the area of head and neck, unfortunately have turned out to be still too severe. That is why my neck cannot stand the extreme stresses caused by Formula One yet."

"This are the clear results of the examinations we did on the course of the past two weeks and the final examination yesterday afternoon. As there were no improvements after the day in Mugello, I decided at short notice on Sunday to do that thorough examination already yesterday."

"I am disappointed to the core. I am awfully sorry for the guys of Ferrari and for all the fans which crossed fingers for me. I can only repeat that I tried everything that was within my power. All I can do now is to keep my fingers crossed for the whole team for the coming races
," added the 40-year old driver.

Ferrari have not confirmed the news, as they are yet to issue a statement of their own regarding the reasons why Schu has decided to cancel his Formula One comeback. If the decision is irreversible, that means the Maranello based team needs to find a replacement for Massa immediately, as there are less than 10 days remaining until the official start of the European GP.
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