Motor Sport/Formula One Championship: Michael Schumacher should seriously consider retiring from Formula One, possibly by the end of the 2004 season, according to three-time world champion Jackie Stewart.

The Scot fears the world champion-elect, who needs one more point in the final grand prix in Suzuka next month to secure the title, may be overwhelmed by a new generation of younger rivals and find the whole business becoming a chore rather than a pleasure.

Stewart himself retired from racing 30 years ago next week after winning a then record 27 grands prix.

"I suspect Michael could find himself thinking of quitting within the next 24 months, if not the next 12," said Stewart at Sunday's US Grand Prix, where Schumacher scored his 70th Formula One victory.

"I was able to start another life when I retired at 34. There's more to do than driving racing cars, believe me. And Michael is going to get to the same position that I got to. He can go into business, help the sport, he can do any number of things. It's a whole new horizon. He's been there, done that, as far as Formula One is concerned."

Stewart retired on the eve of the 1973 US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen after his brilliant young French Tyrrell team-mate, Francois Cevert, was killed in a high-speed accident during qualifying. However, he had already taken the decision to stop much earlier in the year and Cevert's death merely served to underline the wisdom of his thinking. Stewart added that Schumacher should quit while he is ahead. "There is a right time for everybody to retire," he said.

"It's a very personal thing. In my case I didn't retire because of the danger, I didn't retire because I didn't think I could race any longer. I was only 34 years of age and could have raced on until I was 36 or 37 at least. I retired because I was getting more aggravation than I was getting satisfaction.

"I was driving better in my last year than I had driven at any period of my career. Michael Schumacher is in a way, I think, getting towards where I was in my thinking process. In order to go really quickly to beat the young lions - (Juan Pablo) Montoya, (Fernando) Alonso and (Kimi) Raikkonen in his case, and Emerson Fittipaldi, in my case - I was having to push the limit almost to breaking point. Michael may be facing the same challenge."

Stewart also believes that Schumacher's team-mate, Rubens Barrichello, has the talent and ability to lead the Ferrari squad if Schumacher should retire, pointing to the fact that the Brazilian has often been quicker than the world champion, particularly in qualifying, for much of this season.

"Rubens has been faster because Michael is beginning to wonder whether he wants to continue stretching himself so much," he said. "He is an intelligent man and knows that nobody stays on the pedestal for ever.

"So you have to think 'when am I going to stop? When I'm being beaten or when I'm still on top and still respected as the best?'

"It's a very difficult balance. The retirement of any sports person is a very difficult decision to make. When I made my decision, of course I had second thoughts, but by the time I was midway through the season there were no second thoughts. I knew I would never want to drive a racing car after the end of that season."

Stewart is a great fan of Barrichello, who drove for his own Stewart-Ford team up until the end of 1999 when he switched to Ferrari.

"I think Rubens would have been in exactly the same world championship position as his team-mate is now, because there is no doubt that, irrespective of everybody wanting to give both cars equal attention, there is no doubt that the focus is directed more to Michael," he said.

"If Rubens was getting that (attention) I believe he would have done as well as Michael Schumacher this year.

"We were able to help him grow up. It was a godsend for us that we had him and it made him the Rubens he is today and was prepared to take Michael on at Ferrari."

Sauber have confirmed that Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen will leave the Swiss-based outfit after the last race of the season in Suzuka, Japan.

Guardian Service