Schumacher targets 'crucial' Monza win

Teamcar - Michael Schumacher reckons it will be "crucial" to beat championship rival Fernando Alonso in this weekend's Italian Grand Prix.

The Ferrari driver is 12 points adrift of his Renault rival with four races remaining after Alonso managed to stop Schumacher's run in Turkey.

The German had reduced a 25-point gap to just 10 before the Istanbul race, where Alonso finished second ahead of Schumacher.

"Obviously I look very much forward to this Grand Prix as it is kind of a crucial Grand Prix for us, as all the last four are in terms of the championship," Schumacher told reporters at Monza.

All eyes will be on Schumacher this weekend, with the 37-year-old set to announce his future at some point on Sunday.

The German driver refused to answer questions about his decision, making it clear that only Sunday's statement will reveal if he retires or not.

"We will make a statement at some stage in Monza and this statement will be Sunday," Schumacher said at the start of his conference.