‘Schumi’s comeback an exception’

The FIA confirmed that Michael Schumacher’s comeback in 2010 could still happen under the new superlicence rules.

Under the new superlicence criteria, a driver had to have competed in at least five Grands Prix in the previous three years, however, the FIA confirmed that under exceptional circumstances they are able to accept licence applications from drivers who do not fit the criteria.

“One of our objectives with the new superlicence system was to avoid the multitude of exceptions, which tended to often happen these days,” a FIA spokesperson said.

“Of course if a genuine exception, like the Michael Schumacher case, came along, we would always have the possibility to consult the World Motor Sport Council.”

The FIA, though, maintained that such examples would be few and far between.

Some drivers who currently qualify for a superlicence thanks to the time they spent in a F1 car on the testing track, like Pascal Wehrlein and Susie Wolff, will no longer be eligible from next year.