Schumacher in Switzerland “for good”

The world's most famous racing driver, Michael Schumacher, says he has no plans to return to his native Germany, preferring the relative calm of his home in Switzerland.

The 31-year-old formula one star told the German newspaper, Bild am Sonntag, that he preferred the privacy of his luxury villa in Mufflens. “Once one has left Germany, there is no reason to return,” Schumacher insisted. “In Switzerland I can take my children walking without being disturbed. In Germany I’m always being watched or harassed.”

Schumacher told the paper that he didn’t expect to find peace in Germany even when his career is at an end. “Of course I have a lot of friends here (in Germany),” he said. “But they can visit me here or I can visit them there.”

Financial reasons have also played a part in the decision, Schumacher admitted. “In Germany,” he complained, “you have got one foot in prison if you have earned a reasonable amount of money, and try legally not to give it all to the state.” Schuhmacher currently employs three separate tax lawyers to administrate the fortune he has acquired from his sporting success.