Report: Ex-F1 champ Schumacher met Mercedes bosses

FRANKFURT — Former Formula One champion Michael Schumacher met with Mercedes bosses amid speculation the driver may come out of retirement to join the new F1 team.

"I know that Michael spoke with Dieter Zetsche and Norbert Haug at the season's finale in Abu Dhabi," Willi Weber, Schumacher's manager said on Sunday.

Zetsche is the CEO of Daimler AG, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, and Haug is vice president of motor sport at Mercedes.

Mercedes has taken a majority stake of Brawn GP — which won the Formula One championship this year — and will race under its own name in 2010.

The new team has not announced its driver lineup for next season, but has retained Ross Brawn as its chief. He was closely linked to Schumacher's success at Ferrari.

Schumacher retired in 2006 after winning a record seven F1 titles. He abandoned plans for a temporary comeback this year with Ferrari because of a neck injury from a motorcycle crash.

Schumacher's spokeswoman, Sabine Kehm, said two days ago that a comeback was "highly unlikely at the moment."

Mercedes is believed to want at least one German driver in its ranks.