Massa to take Ferrari's No 2 seat

In 2003 Massa had a year out from racing for Sauber-Petronas and was Ferrari's official test driver. He returned in 2004 to Sauber, who had given him his chance in 2002.

Schumacher is known to rate Massa highly. The 24-year-old has proved on several occasions this year at Sauber that he now has the necessary maturity to match his undoubted speed.

Red Bull Racing will give the Austrian driver Christian Klien two more races, in Turkey and Italy, instead of turning over the second car to Vitantonio Liuzzi. The two were to share the car equally this season. The team are thought to feel badly that Klien was taken out of the Hungarian Grand Prix last weekend through no fault of his own, after a spectacular roll in the first corner following a nudge from Jacques Villeneuve.

Liuzzi has competed in four races this year to Klien's nine. The Italian is now expected to take over the second car, from the Belgian Grand Prix in September, for the last four races.