Aug.1 (GMM) FOTA vice-chairman John Howett has confirmed that eight of the ten formula one teams are happy if Michael Schumacher conducts a one-off test at the wheel of Felipe Massa's F60 Ferrari.
The Italian team had made the request to the teams alliance, as well as the governing FIA and non-FOTA teams Williams and Force India, so that Schumacher has a chance to acquaint with the Maranello built car prior to his Valencia comeback next month."Toyota's understanding is that all FOTA teams have agreed to accept this request," Howett, also president of the Toyota team, is quoted as saying by Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper."The situation for Felipe is very unfortunate, and this is a sporting gesture which I am confident Ferrari will respect," he added.It is believed he is referring to the fact that the teams have asked Ferrari to ensure that Schumacher is simply acquainting with the red car, rather than conducting any sort of technical development work.The Telegraph said the FIA received the approval of some teams, including Red Bull, "with conditions attached".Ferrari confirmed that the request was made and said it is "waiting for a reply".Schumacher, 40, lapped Ferrari's Mugello circuit nearly 70 times on Friday, at the wheel of a privately-owned 2007 Ferrari prepared by the team's 'F1 Clienti' division."It's a great thing getting back on the track with an F1 even if this was a car from 2007 from the F1 Clienti department with slicks usually used in GP2 and obviously there is no real point of reference," he is quoted as saying by the Ferrari website."After a couple of laps I was able to drive constant times and I'm happy with the performance. Now we've got to see how my body and the muscles respond in the next days," Schumacher added.
