Ferrari champ to reveal future plans after Italian GP (ANSA) - Berlin, September 7 - Ferrari's Michael Schumacher has made his decision on whether he will retire from Formula 1 and will announce it after this Sunday's Italian Grand Prix in Monza, his manager has confirmed .

"He has made his decision and that's all I can say, except that he has asked everyone to be patient until Sunday afternoon," Willi Weber told Germany's DPA news agency on Thursday .

"It was a difficult decision," Weber said, adding that it had been made a week ago .

Weber also ruled out the possibility of the 37-year-old German quitting Ferrari to race for another team .

On Wednesday, the German daily Bild reported it was certain the seven times world champion would quit Formula 1 regardless of whether or not he is able to clinch his year's title .


'Schumacher Retires' Bild headlined across its front page, predicting confidently that Sunday's announcement in Monza would be a "shock for his fans" .

The Ferrari driver is currently 12 points behind world champion Fernado Alonso in the drivers' standings with four races left in the season. Last year Renault's Spanish driver ended Schumacher's five-year winning steak to become the Formula 1's youngest champion at 24. Schumacher said even before the start of the season that he would make a decision about his future before the end of the current championship .

Earlier this week, Renault's manager Flavio Briatore said he was convinced that Schumacher would announce his retirement on Sunday. Briatore, who as head of the Benetton team in the early-1990s discovered and nurtured Schumacher's talent, said the seven times world champion was now showing signs of his age in his driving .

"When you're 37 the years weigh heavily. He's not the same as he was four or five years ago. He wouldn't have made certain mistakes before," the Italian said .

In related developments, MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi said on Thursday that he would be sorry to see Schumacher retire .

"I'd be sorry because he is a driver who is still in top form. But then again, I guess it's better to quit when you're winning instead of spending years in decline," Rossi said on his arrival for this weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix. Rossi, who like Schumacher is a seven-times world champion, added that he was convinced that the Ferrari driver still had a chance to win this year's title. "I really think he can win it and I'm rooting for him. Clinching the title won't be easy but it's not impossible either. It would be great if he showed that at 37 you're not too old to win races," the 27-year-old Yamaha rider said .

Rossi flirted with the idea of racing for Ferrari earlier this year, perhaps even coming in as Schumacher's replacement .

However, after a series of promising tests with the Italian team he decided to stick with two wheels .