Michael Schumacher's former track rival Giancarlo Fisichella has raised doubts the seven-time world champion will ever be back in the F1 paddock again.
Fisichella and Schumacher spent 10 years racing one another in F1 with the former winning three races in his career.
While the Italian driver never reached the same heights as Schumacher, there was a mutual respect between them both that extended beyond the track.
Fisichella isn't one of the select few outside of Schumacher's family that has access to seeing the former driver at his home in Lake Geneva.
Giancarlo Fisichella wanted to race in the same team as Michael Schumacher
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Schumacher's health status has been under lock and key by his wife Corinna and co ever since his near-fatal skiing crash.
Only small snippets of information have leaked out with the Schumacher family revealing more than they ever had done during the Netflix documentary.
It's been reported recently that Schumacher may attend his daughter's wedding later this year.
That led to some hope from fans that he would eventually be seen again in the F1 paddock.
But Fisichella doesn't share that optimism as he feels a return to F1 is simply 'not possible'.
"Michael was a great driver, but for sure he could be also a great manager or team principal in a top team," he told The Sun.
"So it's a shame it's not possible for him in his condition, you know.
"He was very tough to overtake. He was a great driver, you know."
Michael Schumacher raced for 10 years against Giancarlo Fisichella
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Fisichella also regrets never having shared the same garage as Schumacher during their careers in F1.
He added: "I think Michael was one of the best drivers in the world, he is the history of Formula One. He won seven times the championship.
"I sometimes tried to watch videos about his trajectory. It was a good point of reference for all of us.
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Michael Schumacher famously gave Giancarlo Fisichella a lift after a race
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"I'm really honoured to have raced against him and, especially when sometimes I went on the podium and I shared the podium with him.
"I've got great memories with him.
"I'm a little bit disappointed because I never raced with him as a teammate in the same team because I really respected him and I think he's probably the best driver in the world."
