Schumi expects tough race

Hockenheim is not a track that is expected to allow the strengths of the Ferrari F2003GA to shine. This expectation has lead Michael Schumacher to postulate that this home race will be a tough one."Last year I had the opportunity to come as newly crowned World Champion to Hockenheim and celebrate the title with the home crowd," said Schumacher. "This year, the race definitely looks a much tougher prospect than last season's, and everyone at Ferrari is aware of that-but it is not an impossible task. Recently, we have made significant progress, so we feel well prepared. We can expect a very tough race.

"Several times this year we have seen that the true performance level of the teams at various circuits has only been revealed over the course of the weekend," said Schumacher. "This applies particularly to those circuits where we do not usually test, and Hockenheim is one of these; so we will have to wait and see what we can do. It can be considered as a track which is not particularly suited to the Ferrari, but of course we will be out to prove the opposite."

Schumacher still leads the Championship effort. His closest rival Kimi Raikkonen is seven points behind, and Juan Pablo Montoya is a further seven points back.
(Felipe Fernandes)