Michael Schumacher, former Ferrari steerer and seven-times world champion, is set to return to Melbourne for this week’s 2009 Melbourne F1 Grand Prix where he’ll act as an adviser to Ferrari’s engineers.

The event will mark Schumacher’s first active involvement in an Australian F1 race since the 40 year old retired from the championship in 2006.

Schumacher’s manager Willi Weber said the German’s racing experience and instincts will be valuable,in the face of recent new rule changes, to the team engineers and to drivers Felipe Massa Kimi Raikkonen.

"It wasn’t so important to have him in the pits for the last two years, but with the new rule changes, Michael can help the engineers understand the car better,” Weber told German tabloid Bild.

"That is his task, it will be crucial to communicate with the engineers.

"They evaluate the data and Michael’s experience will be very important for that.”

Schumacher will work in the Ferrari pit lane bay at Melbourne, before flying out to perform the same duties at the F1 Grand Prix in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

[via heraldsun.com.au]