It's difficult to imagine Michael Schumacher driving for any team other than Ferrari at the moment, and the five times World Champion has now publicly sworn eternal loyalty to his team. "My racing career will end at Ferrari," he declared in an interview with German magazine 'auto, motor und sport.'

He admits, though, that in recent years he was not always convinced that the partnership would be so long-term. "In those days I saw Ferrari as a period in my career that need not last for ever. At that time I wanted to try something new at some stage," says the 33 year-old.

Michael revealed that at the time he considered driving for McLaren, Ferrari's competitors. "In principle it was certainly worth thinking about. Especially since I started out as a Mercedes Junior."

Perhaps thankfully for the Tifosi, those negotiations didn't work out, "But there were too many differences of opinion, and these meant a working partnership was out of the question."