Double world champion Mika Hakkinen has told the newspaper Welt that Michael Schumacher could be back to racing in "two or three years."
Hakkinen, 38, left Formula 1 at the end of 2001 and now races with Mercedes-Benz in Germany's DTM touring car series. He tested with McLaren in the autumn, coming at the bottom of the timesheets, and has since said he does not intend returning to F1.He told the newspaper that seven times champion Schumacher would probably find it as hard as he did to lose the desire to race.
"It will take him two, three years before he starts to think about coming back," he said, adding it might be back to F1 or another series.
The former McLaren and Ferrari rivals recently appeared on a TV tribute for Schumacher. Hakkinen gave Schumacher a unicycle with a plaque reading: 'To Michael - my great rival and friend'.
Hakkinen, 38, left Formula 1 at the end of 2001 and now races with Mercedes-Benz in Germany's DTM touring car series. He tested with McLaren in the autumn, coming at the bottom of the timesheets, and has since said he does not intend returning to F1.He told the newspaper that seven times champion Schumacher would probably find it as hard as he did to lose the desire to race.
"It will take him two, three years before he starts to think about coming back," he said, adding it might be back to F1 or another series.
The former McLaren and Ferrari rivals recently appeared on a TV tribute for Schumacher. Hakkinen gave Schumacher a unicycle with a plaque reading: 'To Michael - my great rival and friend'.