Schumacher will drive on till 2006

Formula One champion Michael Schumacher is set to retire when his Ferrari contract runs out in 2006 – but his manager Willi Weber claims there is no way the German will quit at the end of the current season.

“You can put that one in the realm of fairy tales,” Weber told German newspaper Die Welt.

“There’s nothing to it.”

With Schumacher closing in on his sixth world title – he needs a single point from the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka on October 12 – speculation has been growing over his future.

“Ferrari has to think about what will happen next when Schumacher’s contract runs out in 2006. That Michael will retire is pretty certain,” added Weber.