Neck pain poses problem for slim Schumacher

Michael Schumacher has been shedding the pounds as he prepares to come out of retirement to fill in for the injured Felipe Massa at Ferrari although a pain in the neck is a slight concern, he said on his website.

"I'm currently in the midst of my preparations for the upcoming race. I already lost three kilograms even if it is also important to me for to build up muscles," the seven times Formula One world champion said on www.michael-schumacher.de.

"So all in all, the practice is going pretty well. I only have to admit that my neck pinches a bit. We have to get a grip on that as my health is the priority -- that's the clear arrangement made with Ferrari and with my wife too."

The 40-year-old German is poised to return to the track at the European Grand Prix in Valencia on August 23 with Massa recovering from a fractured skull after being hit by a bouncing spring in qualifying for last month's Hungarian Grand Prix.