"When Chairman Luca di Montezemolo asked Michael if he wanted to give us a hand at the moment, I understood from looking in his eyes, even before he replied, how strong are the links between Michael and the Scuderia," said Ferrari Team Principal Stefano Domenicali this afternoon.

Domenicali's comments come just a day after the Italian team sensationally announced that the German star racing driver, a former seven times Formula 1 World Champion, will be deputising for Felipe Massa at the next grand prix which will take place next month in Valencia, Spain. The Brazilian driver was injured after being hit by debris and crashing at high speed during the final qualifying session for the Hungarian Grand Prix last Saturday afternoon. "I didn't have the slightest doubt about his availability and his enthusiasm in our discussions and it would be a further stimulus for everyone to do well," Domenicali continued.

Schumacher, who won five of his seven titles behind the wheel of a Ferrari, took part in 250 races during his F1 career, winning 91 on them and collecting 68 pole positions. He made his F1 debut in 1991 at Spa at the wheel of a Jordan where he finished an impressive seventh, his other two titles came with the Benetton team who immediately snapped him up, and his last race came in Brazil in 2006 driving for Ferrari.

"It's a piece of positive news, which can be added to all the other positive updates coming from Budapest regarding Felipe's improvement," continued Domenicali in a statement posted on the Ferrari website today and who added that: "Michael's availability is a further confirmation of how strong are the human ties, even more than the professional ones, that exist between all of us at Ferrari."