Ferrari make special Michael Schumacher announcement ahead of Italian Grand Prix

Ferrari are set to pay special tribute to the legendary Michael Schumacher during the Italian Grand Prix weekend.

Seven-time world champion Schumacher won five of his titles with Ferrari between 2001 and 2004, though almost added an eighth overall during the 2006 season - the final year of what proved to be his first stint in the sport.

One of the most iconic moments of that season was when Schumacher won his final Italian Grand Prix with the team, and his car was flocked by the jubilant Tifosi as he made his way back to the pits.

In the post-race press conference, the German announced he would be retiring from Formula 1, aged 37, at the end of 2006.

He went on to win the next race in China, putting him ahead of Fernando Alonso at the top of the Drivers' Championship with two Grands Prix to go.

But his championship hopes were destroyed by an engine failure while leading in Japan, with Alonso going on to win the race and take all 10 points before sealing the title in Brazil.

That ended a 10-year stint at Ferrari for Schumacher, who joined the Scuderia from Benetton at the beginning of 1996 after two consecutive Drivers' Championship titles.

Michael Schumacher Ferrari tribute on the way?

AutoRacer reported on Tuesday that Ferrari were planning to unveil a special livery, dedicated to Schumacher and the 1996 season, for the Italian Grand Prix to mark the 30th anniversary.

In a social media post on Wednesday morning, Ferrari posted a series of photos related to Schumacher alongside the caption: "Honouring a legacy that has helped shaped our own."

Notably, though, the first photo shows Schumacher's name below the driver number five - which is the number he used during the 2006 season after Ferrari finished third in the 2005 Constructors' Championship.

In 1996, despite Ferrari also finishing third in the previous year's standings, Schumacher used driver number one by virtue of winning the 1995 title.

The third photo, meanwhile, shows Schumacher celebrating while wearing his iconic red star helmet, which he didn't use in 1996.

That has led to speculation over exactly how the Scuderia plan to mark the seven-time world champion at Monza.

Current drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will be looking to stand on the top step of the podium this weekend.

Only two drivers - Fernando Alonso in 2010, and Leclerc in 2019 and 2024 - have won the Italian Grand Prix for Ferrari since Schumacher.

Ferrari are not the only Italian constructor to win a race at Monza in that time period, though. Sebastian Vettel won a rain-affected 2008 race for his maiden Grand Prix victory with Toro Rosso, while Pierre Gasly won his first race for AlphaTauri in 2020.