No contract talks until next year

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER’S manager has ruled out any contract talks with Ferrari until next year.

The German - five times Formula One champion - and Rubens Barrichello secured a fourth consecutive manufacturers’ title for the Italian team with a one-two finish in Hungary on Sunday.

Schumacher has consistently denied rumours that he will retire from competition when his contract ends in 2004. However, his manager Willi Weber would not be drawn into the speculation.

‘‘Michael does not know if he wants to continue to drive,’’ he told Italian sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport. Ferrari president Luca Montezemolo is reportedly keen to keep Schumacher for a further two years.