US GP - Ferrari - Preview The message Ferrari are keen to send out at the moment is that their Championship aspirations are not yet over, despite rival
Fernando Alonso securing 84 of a maximum possible 90 points in the first nine races of the season.
With four second
places and two wins to his credit so far,
Michael Schumacher heads to Indianapolis – the home of the US Grand Prix – aiming to put a stop to Alonso’s four race winning streak.
Last time out at the Canadian Grand Prix, Schumacher fought his way back to finish second behind Alonso, pegging his deficit to 25 points. The team remains second in the Constructors’ Championship with 87 points.
Felipe Massa, still chasing his second podium, remains fifth in the drivers’ standings with 28 points, two ahead of McLaren Mercedes driver
Juan Pablo Montoya.
Michael Schumacher"Three relaxing days in Canada and the United States is just what is needed before going into the next race. Indianapolis should suit us and we will be doing all that we can. In my opinion, I think that we will be competitive although I cannot say for sure how we will do compared to our adversaries.”
“The race will be on a track that none of us have tested on and this means that things always turn out differently to how we expect. For Indianapolis, the set up has to be a sort of compromise as there are long straights mixed with tricky stretches.”
“It is not very easy but we have always done well here. This year, I do not expect our car to have any problems with the set up.
Further, the great thing about Speedway is that overtaking is possible. So, we are ready for the next event. The title challenge is not over and until it is, we will do all that we can to change the current situation. We will see what we can do. In any case, I am looking forward to the race. We want to put on a show for the fans.”
Jean Todt
“The biggest problem at the moment is that Renault can allow themselves to have an average race, which has not happened so far. We cannot allow that to happen to us, because it would make a much bigger gap, so on this side they are in a much stronger position than we are. It is not only one race. And there's no reason why they should not be competitive, as there is no reason why we should not be competitive. How competitive? There will not be a big difference."
"We still have nine races to go and numbers are still allowing us to think that we can achieve what we want to achieve. We are still fighting, still fighting and hoping that we can still win races and pretend to improve our position in the championship. If we can reverse the trend, we will try to win the championship. I still believe there is a chance."
Source Ferrari
