Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug has refused to rule out Michael Schumacher driving for the team next season.
Team principal Ross Brawn distanced the team from the reports over the weekend, describing them as “a fantasy of the media".
But speaking at a press conference to announce Nico Rosberg as a Mercedes driver for 2010, Haug refused to categorically rule out a Schumacher return.
“When will you ever say categorically anything in F1?” he said. “I fully understand that these speculations are ongoing as long as we don't announce who is driving the other car but that's what we have to live with.”
Mercedes GP chief executive Nick Fry was also non committal on the Schumacher rumours. “We've got nothing to add to that," he said. "We are here to talk about Nico Rosberg and we should stick with that subject.”
Fry, however, was keen to have a new driver in place within the next month.
“We don't have huge time pressure at the moment, but once one goes beyond Christmas and into the new year it becomes slightly more difficult with seat fits in time for the engineers to talk to the driver,” he said. “I would hope on the other driver to do it before Christmas purely for logistical reasons.
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Re: Haug: Schuey return is possible
His return would transform F1, and if he's considering a comeback, his neck injury must be recovered. In that case, he owes it to himself and the rest of us to return and at least have some fun.
I want to see how well the best and fittest driver in the world fares in Grand Prix racing in his forties. It would still be incredible to have him racing even if Brawn-Mercedes struggled to get any wins, yet with Schumacher at the helm, Mercedes would have its best chance.
DTM is waiting for Schumacher when he's in his 50s, but he's too young to go there and ignore F1 if there's a chance he can race now.
The only thing that really puts a dampener on all of this is the fact that, if Mercedes are sticking to a £40m budget cap, Schumacher won’t be there and they'll be handicapped. If they opt for the other financial regime, Schumacher is very likely to be there.
Re: Haug: Schuey return is possible
I have to say I think Ross Brawn is correct. Why would Schuey bother?
Ultimately he has now been out of an F1 car for too long now and we are more likely to see him at the helm of a DTM Mercedes than an F1 car.