Toyota reject Ralf’s $30m ultimatum
The beleaguered 31-year-old's manager Hans Mahr, however, slammed the speculation as mischievous, after reports said the pair had issued a take-it-or-leave-it ultimatum for a new (US) $30m 2008 deal — which would be a $10m pay-rise.
The daily newspaper Bild accused Toyota chiefs of trying to use Ralf as a "scapegoat" for its lack of success, casting the German in a "bad light" before ejecting him from the car and team.
And Mahr said of the $30m gossip: "Nonsense. Someone has invented these rumors.
"We are having talks with Toyota but we have not yet begun to discuss sums of money at all."
Ralf's former long time manager Willi Weber earlier this week advised Schumacher to simply quit Toyota before his bad performances at the wheel of the TF107 "destroys his reputation".
Hans Mahr replied: "The idea of going to another team has already occurred to us."