From Switzerland to Villamartín and from the Alps to the Sierra de Cádiz. This is the next move being considered by the seven times Formula 1 world champion, Michael Schumacher. After his recent retirement the Kaiser wants to relax and dedicate time to one of his great passion: horses.

When thinking of possible areas to buy a property, he remembered the province of Cádiz and the race track at Jeréz where he had competed and practised so many times.

Cádiz offers good weather, nature, peace and tranquillity, beaches, horses and of course a great race track…if he ever gets the urge again.

He had fond memories of his stays in the province when training with the Ferrari team, so when an acquaintance mentioned that he was thinking of selling his country estate and horse stud in Villamartín, Schumacher saw the chance of a lifetime. The racing driver has spent holidays in the Sierra de Cádiz on several occasions and knows the area very well.

The property in question is la Hacienda Buena Suerte, a typical Andalusian country estate surrounded by 200 hectares of land which has been made into a horse-riding school with stables and a salt-water swimming pool.

It is 3km from Villamartín on the road to Prado del Rey and is located conveniently on the route to the White Villages of Cádiz.

There is a horse stud on the estate which breeds American race horses known as “quarter milers” - horses especially trained to race over that distance (450 metres) in record time.

Particularly apt and fitting, one might say, for someone who has spent the greater part of his sporting life racing at 300km per hour.

At the moment the German driver is negotiating with the present owners. However, local residents assure us that the negotiations are going well and will shortly bear fruit and that the province will soon be able to boast a colourful new neighbour.

Meeting the asking price shouldn’t be a problem given that the German is the second best paid sportsman on the planet, just behind the golfer Tiger Woods. Since 1996 Michael Schumacher has lived with his wife and two children in a mansion in the Swiss town of Vufflens-le-Château.

The present owners are a Swiss couple who bought the country estate 20 years ago from a local landowner with the idea of offering rural accommodation for tourists.

At present, and despite fresh rumours every day, it is business as usual at la Hacienda Buena Suerte. The constant flow of tourism carries on regardless, with visitors continuing to choose to stay on the premises for a few days in search of the peace and quiet of the mountains as well as the possibility of going horse-riding.

Reservations have been particularly good during the recent long bank holiday weekend (Day of the Constitution) and for the Christmas period.

If he does take over the running of the property, it is still not known whether Schumacher will keep it open to rural tourism or whether he will transform it into a private residence for himself and his family. These are therefore possibly the last few opportunities to spend a weekend in what may become the private home of the greatest F