Motorsport: Age 'no bar to F1 success'

HOCKENHEIM - Fernando Alonso can see nothing in Michael Schumacher's current form to suggest the Ferrari ace need consider retirement at the end of the Formula One motor racing season.

The 24-year-old Spaniard, the sport's youngest champion, sees the oldest and most successful driver on the starting grid as still improving.

"I think this is a sport [in which] to get old is not very important," the Renault driver said before what could be Schumacher's last home German grand prix on Monday.

"Maybe you can lose some of the reflexes or something like that, but really in a small number. You have a big experience advantage every year.

"At the end of the day it's very difficult to be going down.

"I think you are a better and better driver every year, even at 38 years."

Schumacher, the seven-time champion whose Ferrari contract ends this year, refused to hint about his future though many expect him to continue for another year.

"We will see at Monza," he said, referring to Ferrari's home Italian grand prix in September where the team have said they will confirm their 2007 line-up.

Alonso arrives at Hockenheim, where he won last season, with a 17-point advantage. The expected high temperatures on Monday could favour Schumacher - who has won the last two races - as in France a fortnight ago.

A relaxed Alonso, who has just to finish second in every race to retain his title, said: "I think last year was, at the moment, tougher than this year.

"But the final result of this year may be tighter ... With seven races to go last year, I had the McLaren that was around half a second quicker than us at every grand prix and it was impossible to beat them, only when they had mechanical problems did we win the race.

"This year with Ferrari, some races we win and some races they win depending on the tyres and it is much more equal. But they don't have the mechanical problems so they get good points always and the championship is not decided."

Though he and McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen won seven races each last year, the Spaniard clinched the title with two rounds to spare.

Schumacher has the momentum, but Alonso recalled that this season he won four races after the German took two in a row.

"The important thing is how the package works every weekend, every grand prix.

"It is so different every race. In Canada we were winning, and yet a week later with the same car and engine we were one second down compared to Ferrari. This is what is going to happen for the rest of the season."

- REUTERS