Eddie Irvine is set on leaving Ferrari if the Italian team asks him to remain number two to Michael Schumacher next season. The Irish man was interviewed by the Italian magazine Famiglia Cristiana, and the full interview will appear on Sunday. However, the magazine released a pre copy of Irvine's quotes.

When asked if he would remain in Ferrari next season, Irvine replied: "It depends. If Schumacher doesn't come back in the same role, then maybe. But if he's the number one driver again I'm leaving." Irvine went on to explain that he still rates Schumacher the fastest driver, but not a perfect one. "He's the fastest. With equal cars no one can beat him. But speed is not enough. You need to avoid mistakes and he makes a lot. Too many. This year we've made less, we've capitalised on the mistakes of others, we've been lucky, the car is reliable and we're in front."

When asked about his relationship with Ferrari team chief, Jean Todt, Irvine said: "Todt is visibly happier when Michael wins. You can see it in his face. But that's fine by me. It's the points that matter to me. There's a professional relationship but there's no feeling. He's different from me, and so is Ross Brawn, the technical director. They adore Michael. But I work well with everyone."

In the mean time, Michael Schumacher resumed gym work today - in preparation for his planned comeback at the Italian Grand Prix - four days after undergoing a second operation to remove the screws that were used to help mend the breaks in his leg. Reports in the German press surfaced yesterday suggesting the screws had to be removed because they were badly implemented in the first place, by the British doctors that operated on Schumacher, causing an air pocket in the bone fracture that slowed down the healing process and could have cause serious permanent damage.

The newspaper Bild am Sonntag interviewed a bone specialist who said, "The operation which Michael had [last week] is normally not necessary four weeks after a bone fracture. Either the pin was too long, or there was some problem with the screws." But Schumacher's spokesman commented that, "this is doing the English doctors an injustice. If Michael can drive at Monza after eight weeks' convalescence, then you can't say the first operation was substandard."