"I am very unhappy that a problem means that Michael cannot return to racing," said Ferrari Chairman Luca di Montezemolo in a statement. "In the past few days, I could appreciate his great efforts and extraordinary motivation which had spread through the team and fans around the world. No doubt his return would have been good for Formula 1 and I am sure it would have seen him fighting for wins again."
In a Tuesday statement on his official Web site, Schumacher said that consequences of "bike" injuries "make return impossible."
"Unfortunately, I'm not able to step in for Felipe," wrote the seven-time world champion. "I really tried everything to make that temporary comeback possible, however, much to my regret, it didn't work out. Unfortunately, we did not manage to get a grip on the pain in the neck which occurred after the private F1-day in Mugello, even if medically or therapeutically we tried everything possible."
Schumacher suffered a motorcycle accident in February, which resulted in neck and head fractures. The Formula 1 Web site reported that Schumacher covered 67 laps of Ferrari's Mugello circuit in Italy, after which the neck injury flared up again.
"In agreement with [team boss] Stefano Domenicali, we have therefore decided to give Luca Badoer the chance to race for the Scuderia after he has put in so many years of hard work as a test driver," Luca di Montezemolo said in his statement.
Badoer "holds the dubious distinction of being the driver who has competed in the most Grands Prix (48) without scoring a single point," notes Wikipedia in its entry on the racer.
Schumacher was set to replace Massa, who was injured during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix and is now recovering from the head injuries at home.
Inside Line says: Schumacher's comeback is short-lived as news of his departure rocks the racing world. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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