Schumi retirement - Ferrari's official statement

Ferrari statement
"Michael Schumacher will retire from race driving at the end of the 2006 World Championship. Whatever the final result of this year's championship, Michael leaves Formula 1 holding almost all the records. To date, he has taken seven Drivers' world titles and has contributed to the same number of team wins in the Constructors' Championship. He has taken part in 247 Formula 1 Grands Prix (178 of them at the wheel of a Ferrari), won 90 (71), been on pole 68 (58) times, setting 75 (52) fastest race laps. He has amassed a total of 1354 points, 1051 of them in a Maranello car. No one in the world of motor racing has done better.

Following his decision, the only record that will elude him is the one for the number of race starts. He will be able to reach the 250 mark, just six short of the record held by Riccardo Patrese.

Schumacher has been with Ferrari for eleven seasons, a demonstration of loyalty without equal in Formula 1, to date securing five of his Drivers' titles here and contributing to six of the team's Constructors' titles. No other driver has ever won as much with the Scuderia.

Ferrari confirms Raikkonen and Massa

Following the announcement of Michael Schumacher's retirement, Ferrari confirmed that Kimi Raikkonen joins on a three-year deal and Massa's contract has been extended for another two seasons.

Massa is now contracted until the end of 2008 while Raikkonen is signed up until the end of 2009.

Luca Badoer will be the official test driver once again.

Schumi Confirms Retirement

Michael Schumacher will officially retire at the end of this season, he confirmed in the post race press conference having taken his 90th career victory.

"This is the last Monza race I'll do and at the end of this year I've decided with the team I'll retire from racing," Schumacher said. "It has been an exceptional time the last thirty years of what motorsport has given to me - I've loved all the good and bad moments and they've made it so special."

"I want to thank my family, my dad, mum, wife and kids all of whom have supported what I've been doing," he went on. "Without their support to survive in this business and perform would be impossible. I can't be thankful to my family enough and to all my mates from the Benetton times and Ferrari days where I've made so many friends here and it's been a really tough decision to decide not to work together any more."

"One day, it has to come, and I feel this is the moment," he went on. "In terms of timing, I think it is right to give Felipe to find his place in the team and decide his future and there was no point for my decision to be taken any further as he's been doing such a good job for the team."

Retiring Schumacher cuts Alonso's lead to two points

Michael Schumacher drove faultlessly to secure his 90th Grand Prix victory from Kimi Raikkonen and BMW's Robert Kubica. The big news however, was that Fernando Alonso's engine failure has allowed Schumacher to close to within two points of the championship lead, with three races remaining. Schumacher also confirmed he is to retire at the end of this season.

Schumi entertains at Nurburgring

Seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher took part in Ferrari's 'Racing Days 2006' event on Sunday at Nurburgring. The German entertained the crowd of 35,000 with a series of laps in Ferrari's latest road beast - the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano - and rounded the demonstration off with a run in the F2005 itself, in which he lit up the event with some race starts, donuts and quick laps.

The event included displays of historic Ferrari F1 cars and around sixty road cars. Schumacher also showed off his very own FXX, which has been built for research and development purposes.

"It's an honour for me to take part in the programme," said Schumacher, "especially as it allows for an interesting exchange of technical information.

"The atmosphere of the Ferrari Racing Days is incredible with so many fans. I am very happy to be here," he concluded.

Ferrari to announce driver line-up after Monza race

Ferrari will reveal its 2007 driver line-up on the day of the Monza Grand Prix on 10 September. The Italian team confirmed on Friday that the lengthy speculation regarding Michael Schumacher's future will end once the race is over.

"Ferrari will make an announcement on Sunday after the race," Schumacher's spokeswoman has stated.

It is widely reported that Kimi Raikkonen will be joining from McLaren, however, all eyes are on Schumacher and what Formula One's multi-record holder will decide at potentially his last ever Grand Prix in Europe.

Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport expects him to retire.

"The fact that Maranello will announce their 2007 line-up after the end of the race leads one to believe that Sunday's race will be Schumacher's last Monza."

2007 Driver Line-Up - New Twist

Speculation surrounding the timing and appearance of Ferrari's driver line-up for 2007 has taken a new twist, with reports that - at Monza - the Italian team plans to confirm the identity of three racers.

The Guardian in England cited the information of 'sources close to Ferrari' while suggesting that the highly-anticipated press announcement is likely to feature the names Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa and Michael Schumacher.

"But their precise status will be defined later," the report said, "(giving) Schumacher another few months of decision time."

At the same time, the Spanish sports newspaper AS is claiming that Raikkonen has now signed a contract to drive not only for Ferrari in 2007, but also for Renault.

The article explained that the 26-year-old Finn's Renault contract contains a clause that allows him to drive for Ferrari in the event that Michael Schumacher retires.

Similarly, Raikkonen's Ferrari deal would be void if Schumacher keeps racing beyond 2006.

Schumi Promises to Fight Hard

Monday, August 28th: Great athletes are people who can handle set-backs better than others: without this skill, that's no secret, they wouldn't be as successful - and without this skill, they wouldn't be able to turn things around time and time again. And that's exactly what Michael plans to do in the remaining four races.

"Okay, the race at Istanbul didn't do us any good in the fight for the championship. Okay, so it's become a little more difficult now," a determined Michael stated. "But to think we'd give up now would be a huge mistake. It's still possible for us to secure the title, and each and every one of us wants it. There are still 40 points to be scored, so anything is still possible. We will continue to attack and put the pressure on and we will keep on taking risks, because that is the only way to do it. I don't like to make any promises, but I will promise one thing: we will keep going all out to score this title.“

Massa storms to maiden win

Felipe Massa stormed to his maiden F1 victory from pole position in Turkey becoming the sport's second first-time winner in as many races. Fernando Alonso held off immense pressure from Michael Schumacher in the final stages of the race to lead the German home in second and third places respectively.

Massa established himself in the lead ahead of Schumacher, Alonso, Button, Webber and Kubica. Things looked stable until lap 14 when Liuzzi spun under pressure from Albers and stalled his car in the middle of turn one. The safety car was deployed to remove the car from a dangerous position and Massa, Schumacher and Alonso all filed into the pits. Schumacher had to sit and wait though for Ferrari to service his team mate and in the meantime Alonso cruised past into second place. That proved to ruin any chances of Schumi finishing better than 3rd. Schumi now trails Alonso by 12 pts with 4 races left.

Schumi in Top 20 High Earning Celebrities

He can anonymously holiday in the country, but US business magazine Forbes has placed Michael Schumacher inside the top-twenty of its latest list of high-earning celebrities.

Hollywood director Steven Spielberg tops the charts with more than a staggering (US) $330 million for the year, while Ferrari's Schumacher - his annual take estimated at around the $60 million mark - is placed fifteenth.

On Forbes' ranking of 'celebrity power', meanwhile, 37-year-old Schumacher is situated just thirtieth, although he ranks sixth of the athletes, behind names including Muhammed Ali, Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan.

Intriguingly, the magazine also found that Schumacher is the highest paid athlete who is not sponsored by Nike.

In another publication, however, Sport Illustrated said Schumacher topped its recent International Top-20 list, estimating the German's annual earnings at some $80 million.

He was trailed by Valentino Rossi, Ronaldinho, Maria Sharapova and David Beckham, although Tiger Woods topped the list of American athletes with a whopping $97.6m wage.

Schumi - Kimi Lineup For 2007 Looking Very Serious

Yet another racing publication has claimed inside knowledge of Michael Schumacher's decision, due to be publicly announced at Monza next month, about his future in Formula One beyond 2006.

Recent reports suggested that the 37-year-old German was set to retire, but Auto Bild Motorsport - citing 'sources' - now adds to claims in Britain that Schumacher is in fact due to sign a new contract for 2007.

The seven time World Champion's Ferrari deal will also include an 'option' for 2008, the German publication added, with Kimi Raikkonen as his new joint number-one team-mate.

With Schumacher-Raikkonen in the race cockpits, Maranello incumbent Felipe Massa is most likely to slip into a highly-paid role as a Ferrari test driver.

Ferrari's Latest Creation 612 P4/5

Called the 612 P4/5, the amazing creation mixes the artistic talents of legendary Italian design firm Pininfarina with the searing performance of the Ferrari Enzo. The stunning car will be officially unveiled to the public later this month at the famous Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance event in California.

A year and a half in the making, the project is the dream of super-rich US movie mogul and Ferrari enthusiast James Glickenhaus. He took his Enzo to Pininfarina requesting a completely new body inspired by the P4 racing cars which competed in the Le Mans 24 Hours back in the Sixties.

The P4/5 is a complete contrast to the sharply styled, Formula One-inspired Enzo on which it’s based. It has more than 200 completely new body parts, including a whole host of luscious curves, from the front wings to the tail.

But the most amazing feature of the P4/5 is the clear glass canopy. It extends from the windscreen over the roof and engine, all the way to the rear, and incorporates a pair of gullwing doors. At the front, the Enzo’s twin radiators have been replaced by a single unit to allow a shorter nose more in keeping with the P4 of the Sixties. In contrast, the LED headlamps and tail-lights, intricate 20-inch alloys and complex reprofiled venturi tunnels which help to provide downforce are bang up-to-date.

The steering wheel features the same paddleshifters as the Enzo on which the P4/5 is based, and they’re connected to an identical six-speed gearbox. Power comes from the same 660bhp 6.0-litre V12, too, but thanks to that glass roof and new bodywork, weight has fallen by 55kg to 1,310kg.

Combined with wind tunnel-tested aerodynamics, that means the P4/5 has a potential top speed of 225mph, up from the Enzo’s 217mph. A wider track front and rear offer even higher cornering speeds, too. It should ensure an incredible response when the 612 P4/5 gets its official public launch at Pebble Beach on 20 August.

Schumi Fails To Finish Hungarian Grand Prix

The weekend started to look good for schumi when Alonso as penalized by 2 seconds in each qualifying session for dangerous driving and passing on yellow flags in the second practice session. Then schumi got the same penalty for passing Alonso on the red flag in practice session 3 which obviously was provoked by Alonso’s sudden breaking.

Then the race. The wet conditions made for a thrilling first lap. Massa struggled despite his front row grid slot but the action was all on Schumacher and Alonso who were fourth and fifth by the end of the first lap.

Alonso was then on the tail of Schumacher at the end of lap three and feigned a move down the inside of the final corner, but Schumacher wasn't about to give up - slamming the door firmly. But it was not enough and Alonso was rampant over the back of the Ferrari and eventually pulled off an audacious move around the outside of turn four to take fourth from Schumacher.

Schumacher was on full wets and struggling. The German dropped a further position as Button slipped through the inside of turn one on lap seven and went on to fall back almost twenty seconds behind Alonso in the next ten laps.

Schumacher's afternoon went from bad to worse as when Fisichella tried to pass around the outside, Schumacher lost grip and slid into the Renault, tearing his front wing off. The Ferrari pitted for repairs and took on intermediate tyres as the rain began to stream down.

As Alonso looked certain to claim back some points on Michael Schumacher his strong race fell apart after his second pit stop when he suffered a rear drive shaft failyre which sent him sliding off into the tyre barrier at turn two.

A dejected Alonso trudged back to the pits as Button steamed off into the lead. The Honda driver pitted for dry tyres on lap 54 and rejoined at the head of the field. Michael Schumacher found himself up in second place after a dramatic afternoon and seemed to settle for the eight points when he knew Alonso was out.

As Button was peerless out front, Schumacher fell under heavy pressure from Pedro de la Rosa and on lap 65 the pair had contact at chicane, Schumacher pushed wide and forced to cut the corner. Schumacher was defiant and would not let de la Rosa past, but the following lap the Spaniard proved too strong and took second place at the same corner.

Schumacher then fell into the clutches of Nick Heidfeld and the pair had contact at the chicane, Schumacher sustaining suspension damage and forced to retire in an epic race that saw both championship rivals suffer the same fate.

There is now a 3 week break and the next race will be on August 27 in Turkey.

Schumi Wins the German Grand Prix !!!

Michael Schumacher strolled to his third straight win and his fifth of the season to cut Fernando Alonso's lead by six points to just eleven, with six rounds still to go. Felipe Massa crowned another perfect result for Ferrari with second place while Kimi Raikkonen drove hard all afternoon to salvage third. Alonso could do no better than fifth. Michael and Felipe also finsished 1st and second in qualifying this weekend.

Michael Schumacher commented, "Superb! I can't begin to find the right adjectives to describe the car-engine-Bridgestone tyre package and the performance of the whole team. We worked hard at last week's Paul Ricard test and I am very happy that today that work bore fruit. I want to congratulate Felipe, who drove a great race. It was very important to have made up several points over our main rivals at the key moment of the season. I had no problems whatsoever all weekend and I have to say that winning here in front of my fans makes it a really special victory. Already, during this morning's Driver Parade I got a great feeling seeing all the support I had in the crowd and I am happy to have been able to pay them back with this win. The fight for both titles is now very open. There are still six races to go and there is still room to push and put those in front of us under more pressure. I am confident and keen to get back on with the next few races."

Schumi wins the French Grand Prix !!!

Schumi won his 88th race of his career by becoming the first driver to win the french grand prix for the 8th time, no one has ever won a same grand prix that number of times. He qualified 1st by getting his 68th pole position of his career. Felipe Massa qualified 2nd but finished 3rd. Schumi is now 17 pts behind championship leader Alonso. Schumi led the race from beginning to end and dominated the whole time, making us remember the glory days of 2004, Ferrari is back on track!!!

Schumi wins the US Grand Prix !!!

Ferrari threw down the gauntlet to championship rival Renault with a defiant one-two finish for Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa. Schumacher took his 87th career victory and his third of the season to cut Fernando Alonso's championship lead by six points to eighteen, Alonso finished 5th.

Ferrari 1 and 2 in Indy Qualifying

Schumi and Massa qualified 1 and 2 in the indy qualifying. They totally dominated the qualifying by being more than a second faster than 3rd place Fisichella. Schumi got his 67th pole position of his career.

Canadian GP Results

1. Alonso
2. Schumi
3. Kimi
4. Fisichella
5. Massa
6. Trulli
7. Heidfeld
8. Coulthard

Schumi Second In Montreal !

Schumi came in second at the canadian grand prix after qualifying 5th. He had a bad start falling to seventh spot but came back to fight up to 3rd. He then passed Kimi on the last lap in the hairpin to take second place. Jarno Trulli and back markers made his quest even more comlpicated by slowing him down. Schumi unfortunately is 25 points behind championship leader Alonso.

June 22 - The Day I Met Schumi

Today I met Felipe Massa and Michael Schumacher, my idol. What an experience!!

Mont Tremblant Ferrari Festival 2006

I was at the ferrari festival this weekend with my girlfriend Cathy, we had an amazing time, here are some pictures.

New Logo On 248 F1

Eagle eyed Ferrari fanatics should spot an extra logo on the F1 team's single seater at Indianapolis next month.

At the city's fabled Motor Speedway for the 2006 US Grand Prix, the Italian squad led by Jean Todt is tipped to wear decals bearing the 'Case IH' name, according to Auto Express.

The predominantly American brand, whose corporate colours are grey and red, is Ferrari parent Fiat's tractor-making subsidiary.

Ferrari F2002 floats through Venice

On Tuesday citizens of Venice might have looked a bit surprised when they saw a boat passing by carrying a Ferrari F2002 on board. The F2002 was being transported to the new Ferrari store in Venice.

The Formula 1 single-seater made a sunset appearance in front of Palazzo Ducale in Piazza San Marco after a journey that took it along the Grand Canal to the Giudecca and the Arsenale. The car will remain on display until it is transported to the new Ferrari Store in via Mercerie San Marco 782. As in the other Prancing Horse Stores, the F2002 will be on show in the window.

British Grand Prix Results

1. Alonso
2. Schumi
3. Kimi
4. Fisichella
5. Massa
6. Montoya
7. Heidfled
8. Villeneuve

Schumi Finishes 2nd In British Grand Prix

After qualifying third, Schumi managed to pass Kimi in the second round of pit stops to move into 2nd from 3rd. Alonso once again had the better car in this race. Massa finishes a solid 5th. In the early stages of the race, Schumi tried to pass Kimi so agressively that they almost hit each other, but it was really impressive to watch.

Lap Record For Schumi

Michael Schumacher this afternoon broke the unofficial lap record at Circuit de Catalunya with a best lap of 1:13.471s in his Bridgestone-shod Ferrari, eclipsing the previous best set last month by Jenson Button (1:13.522s). With Luca Badoer destroying his 248 F1, it was certainly a mixed day for the Ferrari team as they prepare for the British Grand Prix.

Monaco Results

1. Alonso
2. Montoya
3. Coulthard
4. Barichello
5. Schumi
6. Fisichella
7. Heidfeld
8. Ralf Schumacher

Schumi's Manager Fights Back

A lot has been said about Michael Schumacher's qualifying incident. A Spanish Monaco GP Steward said there was plenty of proof to punish Schumacher. Schumacher's manager, Willi Weber, believes the Spanish Steward should have kept his mouth shut.

"The man is Spanish, just like Alonso. It wasn't very smart to spread his personal opinion," Weber told German magazine Bild. "You might as well ask the wolf how Little Red Riding Hood is doing lately!" Webber joked.

The telemetry-data showed the Stewards that Schumacher was hitting the brakes 50% heavier than in his previous laps, but according to Weber that doesn't prove anything. "Of course he braked harder, he had to! When you make a mistake and lose control you will brake a lot harder than you do normally. This evidence is a complete joke. None of these three Stewards sat in the car - it was Michael who sat there."

Ferrari President Responds To Monaco Incident

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has spoken of his displeasure with the back-of-the-grid punishment dished out to Michael Schumacher after Saturday’s controversial qualifying session.

Montezemolo feels that Schumacher was harshly treated when stewards stripped the seven-time champion of his pole position after ruling that the German had deliberately parked his Ferrari on the exit of Rascasse corner.

“Ferrari do not comment on the decisions of judges,” he told Italy’s Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper.

“I never like it whatever the judgement – sporting or otherwise – when there is a presumption of guilt.

“I particularly don’t like it when the presumption of guilt can decide the world championship.”

Montezemolo said that Schumacher had responded in the perfect manner on race day, with a stunning fightback up to fifth position which saw him set the fastest lap of the race on route.

“Schumacher honoured his role as a great champion,” said the Italian.

“I believe it was the best possible response in sporting and technical terms on the part of Ferrari.

“On Saturday and Sunday we had by far the fastest car so we must not give up and continue to work.”

Monaco Steward: Qualifying decision was painful

Joaquin Verdegay, one of the race stewards at the Monaco Grand Prix, has said it was a painful decision to punish Michael Schumacher for his actions during Saturday's qualifying in Monte Carlo.

Verdegay said that all the evidence pointed out that Schumacher acted deliberately and that it wasn't a driver's mistake. "It was a painful decision because we could not make a mistake and put the reputation of the driver at risk," he told Gazzetta dello Sport. "We don't know for sure if the entire manoeuvre was deliberate, but in that spot he had certainly not done anything like it throughout the weekend. Schumacher braked over 50% more heavily than on the other laps he did. He then performed some absolutely unnecessary and pathetic counter-steering, and that lasted five metres, until there was no more chances of going through the turn normally."

"He lost control of his car while travelling at only 16km/h. That is something completely unjustifiable. And the engine only shut off because he wanted it to by losing enough time before hitting the clutch. And the excuse that he did not engage reverse because there was traffic doesn't make sense at all."

"If he had damaged his Ferrari we would have probably filed the matter as an error," Verdegay admitted. "We have only applied article 116 of the sporting regulations which says: if a driver affects the results of other drivers by committing an error, you can cancel all of his lap times."

Statement From Jean Todt on Monaco Fiasco

Ferrari's Jean Todt described last Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix as "a disappointing and frustrating weekend," after Michael Schumacher finished a fighting fifth and Felipe Massa ninth.

The team's performance was compromised in qualifying on Saturday, said Todt. "If there is a Grand Prix where you have to be in a good position at the start it is Monte Carlo. So of course it was not very pleasing to have one car starting from the pit lane and the other car starting from last position on the grid.

"But there are explanations for that. Felipe made a mistake in first qualifying, and if you make a mistake in this context, that's the price you have to pay. It was different for Michael. Michael was on pole until he lost the car in the last corner and then the stewards, after eight hours of discussion, decided that he was due to leave from the back of the grid."

Todt described Ferrari's position regarding the incident which led to Schumacher's times being cancelled. "We tried to demonstrate the evidence that it was a racing incident and it was not considered. As we did not have the possibility to appeal, either, we did not have any other option but to accept it and to try to get the best out of the situation. There's nothing we can do now. The weekend is over, no right of appeal, so we just have to move forwards."

Todt admitted that he was surprised by the reactions of people in the paddock to the incident and its consequences. "But we are in a world where people very easily over-react. Personally, I try not to over-react and try to understand exactly what is happening. I know that the majority of the people around were saying that Michael did it on purpose. We tried to demonstrate what had happened with the information, with telemetry data we had that it was a driver's mistake. He explained all that at length and we had the telemetry evidence which allowed us to understand. We have, in detail, all the evidence of this special episode.

Schumi Finishes 5th After Harsh Penalty

Statement From Schumi:

Sunday, May 28th: "Of course I'm happy that I managed to finish fifth after having started as last, but I also have to admit that I'm still a little disappointed following yesterday's events - especially because now we saw what would have been possible during the race. I was also disappointed about what happened yesterday and of course all of us were shocked that I received such a severe punishment. I acknowledge the fact that certain situations in qualifying might have looked a little odd from the outside, but everyone needs to understand that you can't really judge what happened unless you were the one in the car and had all the information. I did not want to spoil Fernando's fast lap, that was not my intention and I am sorry that it ended up that way. I did not even know where he was at that time, because I had no information through the team-radio. But there was a reason why this happened. Some people tend to be very harsh critics and others are more careful when making a judgement. You have to live with that - why should Formula One be any different than real life? There are always people that don't want to understand you and choose to speak through the media. But there are also others who don't need to do that, and it's perfectly normal that these people are far more important to me. I'm still second in the drivers' championship table and my view is that the championship is still not decided after this 7th race. And I think that after this race everyone knows that giving up is not an option for me "

Schumi's Pole Taken Away By FIA

The stewards of the Monaco Grand Prix have deleted all of Michael Schumacher's qualifying times, sending him to the back of the grid for Sunday's race. In a statement the stewards said that Schumacher had deliberately stopped his car on the track in the closing seconds of qualifying, preventing rivals from setting a faster time.

The stewards considered data evidence produced to them by both Ferrari and the FIA, viewed video evidence, and compared data evidence from Schumacher's previous laps in qualifying. Their findings were, as they mentioned in their statement: "having set a fast time in sector one, the driver lost time in sector two, arrived at Turn 18 at a speed little, if any, different from his previous fastest lap, and braked with such force that his front wheels locked up, requiring the driver to regain control of the car."

"The driver ultimately did so without hitting the barrier on the outside of Turn 18. The engine of the car subsequently stalled, with the result of the car partially blocked the track."

"Having compared all relevant data, the stewards can find no justifiable reason for the driver to have braked with such undue, excessive and unusual pressure at this part of the circuit, and are therefore left with no alternatives but to conclude that the driver deliberately stopped his car on the circuit in the last few minutes of qualifying, at a time at which he had thus far set the fastest laptime."

The Stewards penalised Schumacher under Article 112 of the FIA Sporting Regulations, which makes it impossible for Ferrari to appeal.

"Article 112 enables the stewards to delete any number of a driver's qualifying times for a driving infringement, which decision is not susceptible to appeal," the Statement said. "The stewards accordingly direct that the qualifying times of Michael Schumacher, the driver of car number five, be deleted. The effect of this is that...the driver will start the race from the back of the grid."

Schumi Changes Colors For Monaco

New Sponsor

Ferrari today announced that it has reached a sponsorship agreement with Telecom Italian Group, a leading telecommunications, media and internet company. Telecom Italia, through its Alice brand will thus become an official sponsor of the Scuderia
Ferrari Marlboro, with a presence on the cars that take part in the Formula 1 World
Championship. The agreement comes into effect Jan 1 2007 and lasts 3 years.

Spanish Grand Prix Results

1. Alonso
2. Schumi
3. Fisichella
4. Massa
5. Kimi
6. Button
7. Barrichello
8. Heidfeld

Schumi Finishes In Second Place !!!

Schumi finishes second in the Spanish GP after qualifying 3rd in the grid.

Michael Schumacher did what he could, but second position was as good as it was ever going to get unless Alonso had a problem - and he did not. Schumacher made up one position on Fisichella in the first round of pit stops, but could do nothing about the pace of the leading R26.

Felipe Massa started fourth and finished in the same position in the second Ferrari, recording the fastest lap of the race prior to his second stop. For whatever reason the Brazilian was not able to show that pace over the entire race distance, as he finished six seconds behind Fisichella.

New Tires For Ferrari

Michael Schumacher will charge for a hat-trick of victories with a brand new 'super-soft' Bridgestone tyre in Spain.

Germany's 'Bild' newspaper revealed that the new spec, only completed by the Japanese supplier on Monday this week, is softer and faster than the tyre with which Ferrari's number one won a week ago in Germany.

Previously, Bridgestone's product - also used for the first time in 2006 by Toyota and Williams - operated only within a small 'window' of performance.

But Schumacher told Bild: ''Whether it is hot or cold no longer plays a role.''

Ferrari boss Jean Todt added: ''Bridgestone have made a giant jump and from now on we will be strong.''

Ferrari Sets V8 Record

Ferrari was the first team ever to win 2 consecutive races with the same engine.

Europe Grand Prix Results

1. Schumi
2. Alonso
3. Massa
4. Kimi
5. Barrichello
6. Fisichella
7. Rosberg
8. Villeneuve

VICTORY #2 FOR MICHAEL AND FERRARI !!!

FERRARI IS BACK !!! Michael Schumacher held his nerve, matching Fernando Alonso right until the second pit stops and putting fast laps in when it counted to beat the championship leader for the second successive race. Felipe Massa finished third getting his first podium of his career. Ferrari seem to be regaining the domination they are so used to having in Formula 1, the whole package seems great, tires, aero, race pace, it is all coming together. Michael is only 13 pts behind Alonso in the championship.

Ferrari Strong In Europe Qualifying

Ferrari turned in another strong qualifying performance today at the Nurburgring with Michael Schumacher clinching second on the grid and Felipe Massa third. They also dominated the third practice session with Michael and Felipe coming in at one and two.

Aiming for third Pole of the season

Ferrari's Michael Schumacher said today that he is confident of fighting for a second straight victory in this weekend's European Grand Prix.

The German was the highest-placed race driver in the morning's opening practice session and was only four hundredths of a second slower than world champion Fernando Alonso's Renault in the afternoon. Schumacher is second in the title race - 15 points behind Alonso after winning in San Marino two weeks ago, and he goes into Saturday's qualifying session with high hopes of gaining his third pole position in five races.

FERRARI FINALLY WINS AFTER 18 MONTHS !!!

Michael Schumacher fended off Fernando Alonso for most of the San Marino Grand Prix to nurse his Ferrari to an 85th career victory. Despite a flying start Schumacher struggled with tyre problems after his first pit stop and spent most of the afternoon containing Alonso's determined challenge. Looks like the hard work by the Ferrari dream team finally paid off, this is the beginning of Ferrari's return to dominance.

SCHUMI GETS HIS RECORD SETTING 66TH POLE!

Schumi got his record setting 66^th pole position Saturday in Imola. He set a pace of 1'22"795 to start first on the grid on race day in Imola. He is now the all time pole positions leader beating Aryton Senna’s record of 65 pole positions. No one will ever top Schumi, he is simply the best!!!

Schumi Fastest In First Practice

Michael Schumacher left the Ferrari pits with just four minutes of the one hour opening practice session of the San Marino Grand Prix weekend remaining. As the chequered flag flew, Schumacher vaulted to the top of the timesheets with a best lap of 1:24.751s.

Ferrari Will Win This Weekend

Ferrari's Ross Brawn says that all the problems with the 248 F1 have been resolved, including the V8 problem with the pistons, therefore Ferrari will be able to hit maximum speeds with the new fixes.

Schumi says that the testing has gone very well and there are some new aero changes which has made the car much more competitive, he is confident the whole package will work very well this weekend, especially with the cooler temperature in Imola favoring bridgestone tires.

Ferrari lost 'secrets' to rivals – Brawn

Three key losses contributed to the demise of Ferrari's dominance in Formula One.

That is the claim of Technical Director Ross Brawn, who referred to the past defections of Nicholas Tombazis, James Allison and Antonia Terzi in the Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung newspaper.

The Briton denied that the rise of rivals had more to do with Ferrari's use of only a single wind tunnel, while some others run with two. Instead, he reckons the key defectors took Ferrari's aerodynamic 'secrets' to chasing teams.

Brawn said: “It meant that our competitors put more into the area of aerodynamics and closed the gap in that way.”

What Happenned To Ferrari?

Just as I predicted, Ferrari are having as many problems as they had last season.

Many of you ask why, here is my analysis:

The problem stems from the 2004 off season. Ferrari did not prepare early enough for the introduction of the new rules, and they released their F2005 earlier than expected, which meant that they did not test enough. All the other teams prepared well in advance for the aerodynamic and tire rule changes. Bridgestone did not get the job done with their tires, Michelin out did them big time. All through the 2005 season, Ferrari struggled for pace, and could not get through a whole race successfully on one set of Bridgestone tires. Their qualifying laps were awful since their tires needed a large amount of time to warm up. Last but not least, do not forget the the F2005 was the first car in six years that was not designed by Ferrari genius Rory Byrne. The F2005 was designed by Aldo Costa, he missed big time.

So here comes 2006, you think they would have learned their lesson from 2005. It seems like many people at Ferrari are making bad decisions. First of all, they release their 2006 challenger, the 248 F1, but the majority of the time they are testing a F2004 with a limited V10, I still don’t understand to this day why. You would think that they would test the car they will use in the 2006 season. Secondly, they waste a lot of valuable testing time on Valentino Rossi, not worth it in my opinion. Thirdly, Aldo Costa designed the car again.

Now 3 races in, and only 1 podium in the first race and a pole position, (remember they tested in Bahrain in the off season, so it does not surprise me that they did well there). A few points in the second race, and disaster in the 3^rd race. They showed up to the Australian grand prix with the wrong tires and basically destroyed 3 cars (Massa destroyed 1 in qualifying). The reason they brought the wrong tries is because they did not properly test for these conditions in Fiorano because of all the rain. Which brings me to another question, why didn’t they test with the other teams in Barcelona?

On top of all this, the team is not getting any younger, and a lot of key people have already left or will be leaving soon. And king Schumi is not getting any younger, but he is the only one with passion left. It seems like the team has lost their motivation to win. They are not testing and practicing as much as they used to. And finally, Felipe Massa, who can’t even brake properly, this was a bad move. The only reason he is in there is because of Jean Todt’s son, Nicholas Todt, Felipe’s agent. But then again, he is only a 1 year fill in, because the new king is on his way, Kimi Raikkonen.

Many people ask if Schumi still has it, I believe he does, but Ferrari has to give him the car to do it. A man of his talent and success deserves a team that is 100% behind him and that will give him a championship winning car every race, right now he does not have this, and this is why the results are not acceptable at the moment.

Being the die hard Ferrari and Schumi fan that I am, I am not losing hope, I believe that they will bounce back, but they have to act quickly, because Renault is already in the lead by a big margin. Ferrari needs the discipline and motivation they had over the past 6 years.

Australia Results

1. Alonso
2. Raikkonen
3. R Schumacher
4. Heidfeld
5. Fisichella
6. Villeneuve
7. Barrichello
8. Coulthard

Someone please tell me why Alonso acts like an idiot everytime he wins!!!

Disaster Weekend For Ferrari In Melbourne

Both Felipe Massa and Michael Schumacher crashed theirs cars in Melbourne this weekend to walk away pointless. The qualifying was not better either as both cars did not even make it into the top 10. Ferrari has alot of work to do to catch up, Renault is flying away as they get their 3rd win of the season and Alonso gets his second.