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Schumacher has not driven an F1 car since April 2008, when he tested for the team in Barcelona.
Michael Schumacher is back in Formula One.
The seven-time world champion has answered an SOS call from Ferrari and will take the place of Felipe Massa at the European Grand Prix in Spain.
Schumacher originally resisted calls for him to make a part-time comeback to F1 and he is still saying he will not be fully fit or competitive.
But a meeting with Ferrari team bosses in Europe eventually convinced the most successful grand prix racer of all time that it was worth taking Massa's place following his potentially-fatal crash in Hungary when he was hit by a rouge spring from Rubens Barrichello's Brawn.
"Though it is true that the chapter of Formula 1 has been completely closed for me for a long time, it is also true that for loyalty reasons to the team I cannot ignore that unfortunate situation," Schumacher says.
"But as the competitor I am, I also very much look forward to facing this challenge."
His biggest challenge will be getting up to speed in the latest Ferrari F60 because of a ban on in-season testing. In previous years he would have been able to turn unlimited laps at Ferrari's private test track at Fiorano, but that cannot happen in 2009.
Schumacher has not driven an F1 car since April 2008, when he tested for the team in Barcelona.
But he has been racing motorcycles in the German Superbike championship and has maintained much of his legendary fitness. He says the biggest reason for the comeback its his relationship with Massa and Ferrari.
"The most important thing first: thank God, all news concerning Felipe is positive. I wish him all the best again. I was meeting this afternoon with Stefano Domenicali and Luca di Montezemolo, and together we decided that I will prepare myself to take the place of Felipe."
There is no news yet on how many races Schumacher will drive, or the future of Massa. His personal doctor says his eyesight has not been affected but he must still recover from the scull fractures and brain injuries sustained in Hungary.
For Schumacher, the F60 will be a new challenge with its KERS system and slick racing tyres. But a second place in Hungary for Kimi Raikkonen showed the car is getting better and could have made it easier for the German to commit to a comeback.
