Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has cleared the way for Michael Schumacher to join Mercedes after he said the German's contract was "not binding".
The seven-time world champion signed a three-year contract in the summer to develop Ferrari's road cars and be an ambassador for the brand, but di Montezemolo says he is free to leave the team should he wish.
When asked by Reuters if Ferrari would hold Schumacher to his deal should he wish to join another team, di Montezemolo said: "No, not binding."
The Italian insisted, however, that there had yet to be any contact from Schuamcher or Mercedes about leaving the team.
"It's clear that if he decides to take another road our agreement will no longer be valid, that is logical," he said. "You can't work with a competitor and with us at the same time.
"I still haven't spoken to him about it. He is only a dear friend, not a team member. He is a consultant for our road cars."
German media reports claim Schumacher has already agreed a one-year contract for next season with Mercedes worth around £3 million, but this has yet to be confirmed.
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Re: Ferrari: Schumacher can leave
They keep saying £3 million, but I think it's more than that. Not that it's really significant, since he's not doing it for the money.
In a way, whatever his wage is, he's gifting himself to the team for the pleasure of working with his friend Ross Brawn.
I'm on tenterhooks waiting for the confirmation, but the fact the the BBC is finally talking about the story means that it must be pretty close.