Sunday May 7th, 2000

Michael Schumacher, who lives in Switzerland, has ruled out returning to live in his native Germany with his family, saying his children would not be safe and he would have to pay too much tax.

"I see our future in Switzerland," the double world champion told Sunday newspaper Bild am Sonntag. "It would be too difficult for my family to live a normal live in Germany."

The Ferrari driver also said he feared his two children might be in danger in Germany. "I'm thinking about (former German soccer international) Matthias Sammer," he said, referring to a plot to kidnap Sammer's two children which police uncovered earlier this year. "I haven't heard about such things happening in Switzerland."

On the tax situation, he said: "In Germany, when you win quite a lot of money and you try not to give it all to the state you already have one foot in prison."