Willi Weber on Wednesday kept speculation alive that Michael Schumacher might be set to make a sensational full-time return to Formula One.

Rumours that the seven time world champion is to become Nico Rosberg's 2010 teammate at Mercedes GP are rife, and will only now intensify in the wake of comments made by 40-year-old Schumacher's long time manager.

Weber told the German weekly Bunte that, after the German had to call off his 2009 return to replace the injured Felipe Massa for health reasons, Schumacher is now "absolutely fit".

"His neck is also completely fine, just like his entire psyche," Weber added. "He could drive for victories."

Former triple world champion and German-language commentator Niki Lauda, however, doesn't believe the most successful driver in F1's history is about to stage a full comeback.

Referring to the rumours, the 60-year-old Austrian said: "I don't believe that there is one single grain of truth in them, at least from all the signals that I get."

Lauda said he can understand Schumacher's desire to fill in until Massa recovered this year, "but I cannot believe that he would be up for a full season".

"Why then he did stop racing in the first place?" he told F1's official website. "But that is my personal opinion."

Image courtesy of Ferrari | (GMM)