Michael Schumacher is being investigated for the attempted murder of his track rival Jacques Villeneuve, German prosecutors said yesterday.

The Ferrari driver, who was penalised for ramming Villeneuve in the final Formula One race in Spain last year, faces possible charges ranging from attempted murder to coercion, the state prosecutor's office in Cologne said.

"We have received a written complaint from a German citizen in Frankfurt asking the state prosecution to check whether Schumacher's action was punishable," said Hans Bernhard Jansen, head of the capital crimes department in the Cologne prosecutor's office. "A decision will be taken very soon," said Jansen, indicating that the ruling on whether to press charges could be finalised later this week.