From GMM

Ralf may bow out of motor racing
Ralf Schumacher is facing the prospect of bowing out of motor racing altogether. The 33-year-old German had a lacklustre debut in the German touring car series DTM this year as he failed to win a race and finished the championship just fourteenth.

Ralf's contract ran out on 31 December, and discussions for an extension have so far "brought no result". Schumacher said: "Nobody should be worried about me. Apart from race driving I have enough projects to keep me busy." Bild said one of Schumacher's other pursuits is yacht racing.

Bernie welcomes Schu's Superbike snub
Bernie Ecclestone has welcomed reports that Michael Schumacher turned down a recent opportunity to make a full-time return to racing. Schumacher was offered a full ride in motorcycling's Superbike world championship by Honda for this year.

Schumacher, however, turned down the offer and F1's chief executive, welcomed the news. "It's good news that Michael has ruled out a ride in WSB -- he wouldn't be able to race or ride round just for show, he'd have to give it a real go and that could be dangerous."

Alonso said no to 2009 Ferrari switch - report
Fernando Alonso turned down an opportunity to switch immediately to Ferrari out of loyalty to his current F1 employer Renault, claim a Spanish newspaper.

Diario AS said Ferrari were prepared to put Alonso, 27, into the 2009 race seat of Kimi Raikkonen. But Alonso, said the newspaper, put a stop to the deal because it would have left Renault in the lurch less than three months from the start of the 2009 season.

F1 medals 'interesting' says runner-up Massa
2008 championship runner-up Felipe Massa has backed Bernie Ecclestone's proposal to install a medals-style scoring system in formula one as an "interesting idea".

But the Ferrari driver believes it is wrong of the media to say he, as the winner of the most grands prix in 2008, is arguably therefore more deserving of the world championship than Lewis Hamilton.

"I know what you want me to say: that with this system, now I would be the champion. But that is a false conclusion, because at the beginning of the season we knew what was the (current points) system, and that is the basis upon which we oriented ourselves."

Title loss would have hurt Hamilton - Schu
Had the last lap of November's season ending Brazilian grand prix played out differently, it could have had a major effect on the psychology and career of Lewis Hamilton, according to seven time world champion Michael Schumacher.

"Losing this year would have hurt him badly," the German said in an interview with Italy's La Repubblica newspaper. "One year it is an anecdote, but two in a row is something statistical," he said. If he had lost his championship dream again, and again in the last race, it would be like he is condemned: eternally without the prize."

In November, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo mischievously jibed that, by losing the drivers' title, Ferrari saved Hamilton "from being sent to the psychiatric ward".