Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton has said that it would be "great" to compete against Michael Schumacher in Formula One, should the Ferrari plan to run the German in place of the injured Felipe Massa come to fruition.
The McLaren driver, who won the Hungarian Grand Prix last weekend to record his first victory of 2009, has been compared to Schumacher on plenty of occasions by overenthusiastic commentators, but never got a chance to race against him in F1, with their respective careers never overlapping.
But with Schumacher entering a renewed training regime ahead of his mooted return to the cockpit, the Schumacher-esque could well face the Schumacher.
Hamilton said today that although his immediate thoughts are still with the recouperating Massa, who left intensive care yesterday following his terrifying crash in Hungary, he cannot wait to pit himself against the seven-time champion, who most people born later than the mid-1980s believe to be the greatest F1 driver in history.
"I am excited by the possibility of Michael Schumacher's return to Formula 1 assuming it happens, but my thoughts are still with Felipe and his family following his terrible accident in Hungary," Hamilton gushed earlier today.
"Michael is one of the sport's greatest competitors and a legend in his own right and it would be great to compete against him.
"The whole world will be watching his return to the cockpit in Valencia and it will not only be fascinating to see how he readies himself for his grand prix comeback but also an honour and a privilege to race against him for the very first time. I wish him well."
If he makes his return at the Valencia Grand Prix, it will be the first time Schumacher has driven a 2009-spec F1 car, and his first competitive outing since 2006, when he supposedly retired from the sport.
Elsewhere, championship leader Jenson Button was also positive about Schumacher's arrival, despite the prospect of being beaten by a man who hasn't raced in three years should Brawn keep their current pace up.
"It's a tough position for him to be in but I'm happy he's taken up the challenge and it's very brave of him," Button blabbed to the BBC, "He's still young - 40 is not old and he'll still be competitive."
Schumacher would partner Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari, and the Finn, who finished second in the last race after Massa's accident, also claimed to be looking forward to the challenge of facing Schumacher.
"If it really happens I will be happy to partner him, even though it may not have much effect on my own performance," Raikkonen mumbled as he prepared for his one-off drive in the Finnish rally this week.
Schumacher's participation depends on him passing through the training and medical checks that Ferrari will subject him to in the run up to the European Grand Prix in three weeks time.
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