Ralf Schumacher says he is 'ready' for F1 return

No this is not a typo, we are indeed talking about ‘Ralf Schumacher’ and not Michael, who last week announced his decision to return to F1 with the Mercedes GP team.

Bild newspaper (the one that broke the news on Michael’s return) says that younger brother Ralf would like to return to the Formula 1 grid. A source close to the 34 year old ex-F1 driver has told a reporter at Bild that Ralf Schumacher turned down an offer from one of F1’s new teams for 2010 (Lotus, Virgin, Campos or USF1), but it wasn’t the challenge he wanted.

Ralf has apparently confirmed that if a more attractive offer was to materialise, he is ready to give up his Mercedes seat in the German touring car series DTM. “I have noticed that the formula one fire is once again burning within me,” he told the newspaper. “I can understand Michael’s decision 100 per cent and I would not have hesitated for a second. You can’t stop the passion: racing was and is our life and we have always looked for challenges.”

Asked why he turned down the reported offer to join one of the new teams in 2010, Ralf said “The challenge must be the right one,” who admits his reputation was damaged by his stint at Toyota, which ended two years ago.

“There is no point signing a second-best contract, and it’s not about the money but whether together we would be able to achieve something together,” Ralf added.

Bild has mentioned Sauber, Renault and Toro Rosso as potential options for Ralf Schumacher, and that Renault and Toro Rosso have already discussed the driver during internal meetings.

Ralf said, “With Mercedes in the DTM I feel very good, but I am sure I would get right back up to speed in a Formula 1 car. For me the Toyota years are in the past. I know what I can do and I feel good and ready,” he said.