Japanese GP - Ferrari - Preview
After five years Formula One has a new champion. Following six seasons of unqualified success, Ferrari is ending a not-too-positive year in Japan and China. However, the team is as motivated as ever and as ever, Michael Schumacher is vowing to do his best.
Soon after returning from Brazil, Schumacher was soon back behind the wheel of the F2005. Two test days were arranged at short notice for the out-going Champion on the Paul Ricard circuit to test Bridgestone tyres for the final two rounds of the season. Schumacher described the tests as `positive` after setting competitive lap times and having no mechanical dramas.
Schumacher is tied with Juan Pablo Montoya in the championship on 60 points but as a result of the Colombian`s great number of race wins, is fourth in the Drivers` Championship with Rubens Barrichello down in seventh.
The team however looks set to claim third position in the Constructors` Championship as they are 17 points clear of nearest rival Toyota.
Michael Schumacher
`I will never tire of saying that we had to expect that things would go like this. The world of racing is like life: one goes through good times and bad. It is all about cycles and this should not frighten us. I can also say that the way that each of is going about his work makes it apparent that the situation is highly stimulating for us. We are facing a new challenge, one that will lead from the `low` we are now in to once more going for the title next year.”
"I am curious to see how we do in the final two races of the season. Changes in performance are often witnessed over the course of a season and this could repeat itself again. Naturally, it would have been nice to have come out of it by the end of the year. However, we cannot force things too much. Our motivations for next year do not depend on the last two races but, rather, on other things. Now we are off to Japan to try to do our best. Then we will see how things go.”


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