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Michael Schumacher is banking £30million a year to make the most astonishing comeback in motor racing history.
Mercedes had briefed the press that they were paying Schumacher £6m when they unveiled him as their star driver last December, but Sportsmail has now learned that he is receiving a basic salary of around £21m plus a further £9m in private endorsements.
It makes the 41-year-old German the highest paid driver on the grid, ahead of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, whose annual earnings amount to about £26m.
It also places him just in front of football’s World Player of the Year, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, who earns £29m. However, Schumacher’s current pay is less than he pocketed at his peak — more than £60m a year. He is thought to be worth £500m in all.

The revelation of the true cost of Schumacher’s employment — which amounts to £90m over three years — will come as an embarrassment to Mercedes, who were keen to play down his salary given trade union unrest in Stuttgart, where manufacturing jobs have been laid off as a result of falling road car sales in the world recession.
Schumacher’s extra £9m comes from deals with clothing companies Navy Boots and Jet Set, financial advisers DVAG, mineral water manufacturers Rosbacher and, from next month, energy drink Schneekoppe.
It is a sign of Mercedes’ indulgence of the seven-time world champion that he is being allowed to work for Navy Boots and Jet Set while the team are still being backed by rivals Henri Lloyd, who are said to be unhappy at being usurped. It is understood that Mercedes forbade Schumacher’s team-mate Nico Rosberg from striking his own clothes deal.
Schumacher’s vast remuneration shows how important he is to Mercedes, whose sales slid by 10 per cent last year. He is Germany’s most popular sportsman and a key commercial component for the brand. He is likely to remain a long-term ambassador beyond his racing career, which is projected to last until 2012.
However, it is too early to say whether his signing after three years in retirement is a shrewd move in sporting terms. After all, he finished behind Rosberg in Bahrain a fortnight ago. His next task is to improve on that in Sunday’s second race, the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
‘It’s true (I was beaten by my team-mate),’ he said. ‘But it is rare that I take a three-year break. I am pretty happy with the way the progression is going — understanding
where I have to improve, where the car has to be with me. It was in line with my expectations.
‘I wasn’t dreaming of coming back and kicking everyone else’s ass and neither was my ass kicked.
‘People have a lot of trust in me which is nice but I am not a magician. I have been around long enough to know about the attention to detail it needs. You can’t expect me to be here straight away.’ Schumacher declared himself fit, his neck able to withstand the G-forces of driving a Formula One car, not least because the heavier fuel loads introduced this season reduce car speeds.
However, he is not setting himself targets, dismissing three-time world champion Niki Lauda’s assertion that we will know his true calibre after three races.
‘I will give my own judgment in the time I want,’ said Schumacher. ‘I had a good start in Bahrain, good pace, and I was pleased.’
But Mercedes want world championship success after giving up a 40 per cent stake in McLaren to take a 75.1 per cent stake in what was previously the Brawn team.
German national pride may hinge on their willingness to grant team principal Ross Brawn space to run things as he wishes without undue interference from Mercedes’ motorsport supremo Norbert Haug. And the ability of their £30m-a-year talisman to reproduce the wonders of his past.

Round 14 of the 2009 Formula 1 World Championship takes place in Singapore on September 27th. Follow all the action from the Singapore Grand Prix with live Formula 1 streaming at www.livef1.net.

The F1 title battle appears to be between Brawn GP team-mates Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello. It was Barrichello who won last time out at Monza, although Button managed to finish second which limited the damage to his points lead. Follow the Singapore Grand Prix live online at www.livef1.net to find out if Barrichello can close the gap further in the race to be Formula 1 World Champion.

Despite the fascinating title battle the main topic of discussion ahead of the Singapore GP is Renault’s upcoming hearing in front of the World Motor Sports Council. Team boss Flavio Briatore will have to defend himself from allegations brought against him by disgruntled former driver Nelson Piquet. The sacked Brazilian has told the FIA that he was instructed to crash deliberately in last year’s Singapore Grand Prix in a bid to help his team-mate Fernando Alonso win the race. Alonso benefited from the subsequent safety car period and did go on to claim victory.

The 2009 Singapore Grand Prix will take place at night over 61 laps of the 23 corner floodlit street circuit. Each lap measures 5.067 km (3.15 miles), making a total race distance of 309.087 km (192.066 miles). You can follow the 2009 Singapore GP live online at www.livef1.net with live F1 streaming of all the action from the demanding street circuit. The lap record belongs to Kimi Raikkonen and was set in last year’s inaugural Singapore Grand Prix. The Finn recorded a best time of 1 minute, 45.599 seconds in his Ferrari.

Both Brawn GP drivers will be confident of challenging for victory in Singapore, but Raikkonen has been in impressive form recently. He has claimed 30 out of a possible 40 points in the last four races. Watch Raikkonen go for another victory with live Formula 1 streaming of the 2009 Singapore Grand Prix at www.livef1.net.

The revelation of the last two races has been Force India’s form. Adrian Sutil qualified second and Monza and finished fourth, while his new team-mate Vitantonio Liuzzi also had a strong weekend. Find out if the team can score a breakthrough win by watching live Formula 1 streaming of the 2009 Singapore Grand Prix at www.livef1.net.

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber both looked like strong title contenders before Monza but a miserable weekend saw their championship hopes all but ended. Lewis Hamilton provided plenty of drama at Monza, crashing his McLaren heavily on the final lap. Follow the Singapore GP live online at www.livef1.net to see if the defending Formula 1 World Champion can last the distance this time.

Toyota and Williams were both off the pace in the Italian Grand Prix, but Williams driver Nico Rosberg drove superbly in Singapore last year to claim second position. Meanwhile, Giancarlo Fisichella will be looking for a points finish in his second race for Ferrari. A subscription to www.livef1.net provides live F1 streaming and also access to online coverage of other major racing series, including MotoGP and NASCAR.

After a thrilling Belgian Grand Prix on the majestic Spa-Francorchamps circuit the 2009 Formula 1 season moves to an equally historic track. Round 13 of the 2009 Formula 1 World Championship, the Italian Grand Prix, takes place at Monza on September 13th. Follow all the action from this legendary high speed circuit by watching the 2009 Italian GP live online at www.livef1.net.

The 2009 F1 season has thrown up many surprises, and the form book was turned upside down at Spa. Giancarlo Fisichella was the sensation of qualifying, claiming pole for Force India. Although he was passed in the race by Kimi Raikkonen’s KERS assisted Ferrari the Italian doggedly stayed with the Finn, crossing the line less than one second behind. You can see if Force India can go one position better at Monza with live Formula 1 streaming at www.livef1.net. They will be without the services of Fisichella, who has landed himself a race seat with Ferrari replacing Luca Badoer.

Renault find themselves embroiled in further controversy ahead of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. The FIA have launched an investigation following allegations that Nelson Piquet’s crash during the 2009 Singapore Grand Prix was deliberate. The crash brought out the safety car, benefiting Piquet’s team-mate Fernando Alonso who went on to win the race.

The 2009 Italian Grand Prix is scheduled to take place over 53 laps of the 5.793 km (3.600 miles) Monza circuit, amounting to a total race distance of 306.720 km (190.596 miles). Juan-Pablo Montoya recorded the fastest lap in F1 history at Monza in 2002, circulating at an average speed of 262.242 km/h (162.949 mph). Follow the Italian GP live online at www.livef1.net to see if any of the current Formula 1 driver’s can approach the Columbian’s speed.

Monza has a long history of producing high speed races and close finishes. In 1971 Peter Gethin won the closest Grand Prix ever, with the top five cars covered by just over half a second.

It is near impossible to predict a winner of the Italian GP. Red Bull arrived at Spa as favourites, but had a disappointing weekend. Watch the 2009 Italian Grand Prix live online at www.livef1.net to see if Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel can get their title challenges back on track. It was at this circuit last year that Vettel scored his maiden F1 victory driving for Toro Rosso.

F1 World Championship leader Jenson Button saw his lead narrowed to 16 points in Belgium, after being taken out on lap one by Renault new boy Romain Grosjean. At www.livef1.net you can see if the Briton can stand the pressure from his experienced Brazilian team-mate and nearest title challenger Rubens Barrichello. Defending champion Lewis Hamilton crashed at the same corner as Button at Spa, after being driven into by Toro Rosso rookie Jaime Alguersuari. Follow the 2009 Italian Grand Prix live online here to see if Vettel can produce a repeat performance.

Live Formula 1 streaming at www.livef1.net allows you to watch all the drama of the 2009 Italian Grand Prix online. With just five races left in the 2009 F1 World Championship the season is building to a gripping climax. Watch the Italian GP live online, the final European race for this year. A subscription to www.livef1.net also gives access to online streaming of other major racing series, including MotoGP and NASCAR.

Watch Formula 1 Malaysian Grand Prix live online from Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia at www.livef1.net . This year F1 Malaysian GP scheduled to be held on 03 April to 05 April 2009 at Sepang International Circuit, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. As a primium member catch up all live F1 racing action with many other racing events throughout the season from our dedicated member’s area. Our easy and secure signup process will allow you to watch Formula 1 Malaysian Grand Prix 2009 the second f1 grand prix of the calender for the season 2009 instally after joining as a premium members. Signup now and start watching Formula 1 Grand Prix Live online at your Desktop or Laptop.

The current Malaysian Grand Prix is held at the hyper-modern Sepang International Circuit at Sepang, Malaysia which was first included in the Formula One World Championship in 1999. The 1962-1965 seasons of the original Formula 2 Grand Prix held on the Thomson Road circuit in Singapore is regarded as an earlier precedence of the Malaysian Grand Prix, when Singapore was originally part of the Malaysian federation from 1963 to 1965. After Singapore seceded from the federation in 1965, the Grand Prix continued on until 1973. Between Singapore’s departure from the Malaysian federation and the opening of Sepang Circuit, Malaysia hosted a range of other racing tournaments at Shah Alam’s own circuit between 1968 to 1995, including the Tasman Series (1968-1972), Formula Pacific (1973-1974, 1978-1982), Formula Atlantic (1975), Formula Two (1977) and Formula Holden (1995).

Sepang International Circuit designed by German designer Hermann Tilke, who would subsequently design the new facilities in Shanghai, Bahrain and Turkey. Sepang is one of the most technical circuits in Formula One. The combination of long high-speed straights, and tight twisting complexes make the track very complicated, but also perfect for overtaking as the track itself is very wide. The drivers love it and, along with Malaysia’s distinct atmosphere, it makes for an experience unique in Formula One. The main circuit, normally raced in a clockwise direction, is 5.54 kilometres long, and is noted for its sweeping corners and wide straights. The layout is quite unusual, with a very long back straight separated from the pit straight by just one very tight hairpin. Other configurations of the Sepang circuit can also be used. The north circuit is also raced in a clockwise direction. It is basically the first half of the main circuit. The course turns back towards the pit straight after turn 6 and is 2.71 kilometres long in total. The south circuit is the other half of the racecourse. The back straight of the main circuit becomes the pit straight when the south circuit is in use, and joins onto turn 8 of the main circuit to form a hairpin turn. Also run clockwise, this circuit is 2.61 km in length. Sepang International Circuit also features kart racing and motocross facilities.

Don’t miss the opportunity to watch Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix live online. As a premium member of www.livef1.net you will not only be able to watch Malaysian Grand Prix racing live online, but you will also be able to follow live F1 preview before starting any grand prix and live formula one highlights with formula 1 news shows featuring all the behind the scenes news affecting the drivers and cars.