Schumacher: I'd quit to avoid new pretender

Michael Schumacher will consider ending his Formula One career if a brash young driver in the mould of Ayrton Senna starts to challenge his dominance.

Michael Schumacher will consider ending his Formula One career if a brash young driver in the mould of Ayrton Senna starts to challenge his dominance.

Schumacher has become acknowledged as the best driver on the Formula One circuit. But the German believes it may become too dangerous if a young pretender tries to take his crown.

"It would be a new experience for me, because my career has always been me being young, starting up, and fighting against older people and trying to beat them," said the 30-year-old Schumacher.

"At some stage I'll probably have to have the new experience where a new young guy is coming.

"I never like these comparisons - you know, to talk about a new Schumacher or a new Senna - because if there's a new guy coming then he'll have a new character.

"He'll be a new independent person and he'll make his own name. But one day that will happen.

"My father always tells me 'If that happens you'd better stop', because then it may become dangerous.

"And I think he's right, because then you may try to extend your limits to keep up with what he's doing. And that can be dangerous."

Schumacher, interviewed by Damon Hill in the British driver's role as guest editor for F1 Racing magazine, will not put a time limit on when he may call it a day if a challenger does not come, though.

The German, seriously injured at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in the summer, said: "I do have a family but I don't find that enough reason to say I'll only do it for one more year or two more years or whatever.

"A couple of years ago I said I'd do it for five more years, but I also remember that when I started I said I'd only do it for three or four years and then I'd stop.

"And now I'm here almost 10 years. It's okay just as long as you still enjoy it and things are going well. But I think I probably won't stay until 40."

Schumacher's immediate priority is to win the World Drivers' Championship for Ferrari rather than beat the record for world title wins - Alain Prost won four, while Juan Manuel Fangio won five.

"My first priority is to become champion for Ferrari. And then some way down the road, you know, you could say 'I've done it twice, so...'.

"But then that would be three times already, so then you might say maybe you can do it even more times than that. But it's not really my first thing; I just take it as it comes."