Since retiring from F1 at the end of the 2006 season Michael Schumacher has carried out occasional test duties for the Scuderia (top) as well as spearheading the development of road models including the 430 Scuderia, California (and) forthcoming 458 Italia.

Hardly has the announcement of the shock return to the Ferrari cockpit of Michael Schumacher started to sink in than the German driver reports that he is already in Maranello and pressing forward with his grand prix comeback. "Today I was in Maranello in the afternoon to check the functionality of the steering wheel at the static simulator," the seven times world champion said in a note posted on his website yesterday.

Always noted for his absolute strive for perfection in every area Schumacher, who last drove an F1 car during testing duties for Ferrari in April 2008, will now be looking to refresh his single-seater skills prior to his return in Valencia. "Of course I was also taking the opportunity to again discuss with the engineers how to proceed further," he said yesterday. "There is this test ban in Formula 1, therefore I contacted some of the guys from F1 Clienti if they could give me a car. Although those cars are not current or last year's ones, I simply like to drive as much as possible, so this is a good option. The next weeks will be totally on preparation then."

Ferrari has also reacted to the news that the BMW team will leave F1 at the end of this season after a particularly lacklustre year, the Italian team reconfirming its commitment to the sport. "The news of BMW abandoning F1 has been received with sadness in Maranello," the team said in a statement. "Over the last 60 years of the continuous participation of Ferrari in the Formula 1 World Championship we've seen many teams and some important constructors come and go,” a spokesperson for the Scuderia said. "This is a characteristic of this sport, although we are sad about BMW's decision. Ferrari will continue to engage itself wholeheartedly for a new era in Formula 1, composed of stable rules and extreme technological research accompanied by paying close attention to the environment and a growing spectacle as well as greater participation of the fans and of all our sport's components."

Meanwhile racing drivers past and present have reacted to the return of Schumacher. Writing in his column for The Times the now retired Scottish F1 driver David Coulthard said this morning: "In fact, I believe it will be like he has never been away. F1 is not a sport in which you rely on muscles or athleticism to make you go faster. It is a combination of man and machine; you rely on your car to make you go faster. We're in the business of driving so reaction speed and instinct are more important than an athlete's heart and lungs. Michael knows what it takes and has enough time to get his body in shape. You don't lose that. A couple of weeks ago Michael took part in a karting event organised by Robert Kubica and some of the other F1 drivers. No prizes for guessing who won. Nor do I think the new-look F1 machines will bother him unduly. If a 19-year-old, Jaime Alguersuari, who has never driven a F1 car around a corner can come in and acquit himself well on his first go in a 2009-spec car, then a seven-time world champion with 91 race wins under his belt is not going to have a problem," added Coulthard.