» Schumacher to assume a more distant approach

Well, it wasn’t going to last!

Michael Schumacher has admitted he may have to adopt a more removed and aloof approach as he returns to racing full-time in F1 this season.

In the lead-up to his return, the seven-time champion has been considerably more approachable by the media than at any stage in his F1 career, which has done wonders for his popularity and respect in the paddock.

However, the need for some privacy, he admits, is always there.

"I simply think that, if you are around as long as I have been, there will always be people who follow you more and some who follow you less," the Kerpen man told the official F1 website. "To be able to be around for so long, I sometimes had to close myself up a bit. It may be the same again this time."