Retired seven times world champion Michael Schumacher is keeping a close eye on Ferrari's winter testing despite his departure from Formula One in October.

Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer told Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper yesterday that the German, who is being lined up for an as-yet undefined role with the team in future, had access to all the data. "I continue to hear regularly from Schumi," said the Italian. "And he constantly keeps up to date with what we are doing because he receives in real time, on his computer, the data that we gather.

"He can see at any moment the telemetry data. So from that point of view, little has changed. Let's just say that he's only a little more removed because officially he's still in a period of rest."

Schumacher rarely tested between the end of a season and the New Year while a race driver, although he did break that habit in 2005 after Ferrari's slump in form.

The 37-year-old retired at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix after finishing runner-up in the championship to Renault's Fernando Alonso. Schumacher won 91 grands prix and is by far the most successful driver in the sport's 56-year history.

He has been replaced at Ferrari by McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen.