Michael Schumacher will keep a close eye on Ferrari's rivals in Spain this weekend when he attends his first Formula One Grand Prix since he retired last year.

Ferrari said the seven times world champion, who has kept out of the limelight and made few public comments about the sport he once dominated, will join them at the Circuit de Catalunya on Friday.

The 38-year-old German is due to hold a news conference at 1000 GMT.

"He's still involved with the team and he will try to help the team go forwards," said Kimi Raikkonen, the Finn who has stepped into Schumacher's shoes at the Italian team, when asked what role his predecessor might play.

"That's why he's coming here and I think it's going to be only a positive thing," he told reporters at the circuit on Thursday.

Schumacher has kept in regular touch with Ferrari from his home in Switzerland, receiving real-time test data on his computer, as well as attending the launch of the new car at Maranello in January.

In February, the most successful driver in Formula One history also turned up for a test session at the Barcelona circuit.

Raikkonen, level with McLaren's double champion Fernando Alonso and British rookie Lewis Hamilton on 22 points at the top of the standings, was not expecting the former champion to give him or Brazilian team mate Felipe Massa any advice on how to drive the car.

"Hopefully he has much more time to look over what the other teams are doing and maybe he comes up with some ideas. I think that's the way he's approaching the weekend," said the 27-year-old.

"He's not coming to us and telling us how to drive the cars. That's never been the thing why he's here.

"I still drive the car and I do with my engineers what I want," added Raikkonen, who won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on his Ferrari debut.

Schumacher won the Spanish Grand Prix six times, more than any other driver, in a career that started in 1991 and ended with a string of records including 68 pole positions and 91 victories.

Ferrari have won two of the season's three races so far, with Massa victorious at the last race in Bahrain. The team are five points adrift of McLaren in the constructors' standings.

(China Daily via Reuters May 11, 2007)