No refunds for Schu's Valencia comeback tickets

Refunds for tickets bought to witness Michael Schumacher's aborted Formula One return at Valencia will not be refunded, according to Auto Motor und Sport.

News of the seven time world champion's comeback triggered a spike in flagging sales for the Spanish street race, even though 30,000 of the available 75,000 Sunday tickets are still on the market.

Carlos Gracia, head of the Spanish motor racing federation, was present at Renault's race ban appeal hearing in Paris on Monday, but he denied the Court of Appeal ruled in the team's favour in order to prevent a disaster for the Valencia event.

If the ban had stood, not only would Schumacher not have been in action, but also absent would have been the local favourite Fernando Alonso.

"One has nothing to do with the other," Gracia told the Spanish newspaper AS. "The Court of Appeal did its work with absolute independence and total autonomy."