Ferrari still have work to do, warns Schumacher
World champion Michael Schumacher does not expect a repeat of Ferrari’s double Canadian podium in this weekend’s United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis.
Schumacher has won three of the five grands prix held at the famous Brickyard and took second in Montreal last weekend to raise hopes of a long-awaited return to the top step of the rostrum after an eight-month wait.
But the German, who is enduring the worst start to a Formula One season of his career, has poured cold water on Ferrari’s dreams of victory this weekend, claiming a repeat of their second and third places in Canada will be hard enough.
Schumacher, who led home team-mate Rubens Barrichello in Montreal for Ferrari’s first double podium of the season, said: “Naturally I am very pleased, above all for the team.
“This though does not mean that we expect to do as well in Indianapolis. We have to keep our feet on the ground.
“In normal conditions starting so badly would have meant me finishing in fifth or lower.
“We have worked very hard over the past few weeks and have really improved. We had a bit of luck on Sunday.
“We have to consider each race objectively and this is what we did and are continuing to do after this race. Until we are competitive in all the phases of a race, and in Canada we certainly were not, we cannot consider ourselves to be at our peak.
“Still, we took a big step in the right direction and I am sure that our time will come. We can achieve even better results.”
Schumacher’s problem this season has not been Ferrari’s ultimate speed, but their inability to translate that into lap times throughout all of qualifying and the race.
His cause was helped substantially in Canada by several retirements ahead of him and the seven-time world champion knows plenty of work is needed for Ferrari to reclaim their position as Formula One’s strongest force.
“Finishing second and third at the weekend prior to the race at Indianapolis - there’s worse ways of going into the US Grand Prix,” he added.
“Our chances for the race itself are similar to those at Montreal. We may not be strong in all stages of the weekend, but we are a force to reckoned with and are able to go for it at any given time.
“The important thing is to make the best possible use of our chances and to fight right up until the end – and we surely will do just that again this time. We are ready for Indianapolis and I am looking forward to it.
“We will be doing our best. The situation, as I have said, has not altered radically but Montreal has provided further motivation.
“We proved once again that we never give in and will fight to the end. We will go on doing this. I cannot wait for another exciting race.”
