Friday August 20th, 1999

Michael Schumacher said today might be back to racing in next week's Belgian Grand Prix. On the final day of testing for Scuderia Ferrari-Marlboro at the Mugello circuit, Schumacher's testing went smoothly with a series of runs of about five laps each, followed by one 20 lap run. Overall, the German ran 65 laps, with a best time of 1:28.379, slightly faster than Eddie Irvine's 1:28.648 from 59 laps. Mika Salo did just one shake-down lap in car 194. Eddie Irvine continued his programme of working on set-up and adjustments in preparation for the forthcoming Belgian Grand Prix.

Jean Todt: "It was great to have the whole group together, with Eddie and Mika when Michael arrived. I had expected Michael to only do a handful of laps, but in the end, he managed to do a whole day's testing. The two drivers worked on different programmes, with Eddie preparing for the Belgian Grand Prix and Michael reacquainting himself with the car in race trim. I had thought Michael could be back for Monza. We will see how he feels after this test and make a decision after a further medical examination. Tomorrow, at Fiorano, Mika Salo will shake down the three cars to be used in next week's Belgian Grand Prix."

Eddie Irvine: "I worked mainly in preparation for the race at Spa. Today, I concentrated on brakes, which still give me a few problems to adjust correctly. I did all my laps today in race trim."

Michael Schumacher: "Above all, I want to thank all the Ferrari fans. Today, I was very happy with the reception I got from the team and it was great to see my friends again. It was like coming home after a too long holiday. Almost straight away I felt comfortable with the car, although it took me a short while to adapt to the change of balance of the car. I did around sixty laps without any problems. Over the bumps, my right leg hurt a bit, but it had no effect on my performance. Over the next few days, I will see how I feel and after a further medical check, I will decide along with the team if I can make my comeback at Monza or earlier."