Untitled Document

January 30th, 2002

Michael Crashes at Barcelona,

M. Schumacher has escaped another big testing accident unharmed, after his Ferrari suddenly swapped ends and ploughed into the barriers rear-on in Barcelona today.

Michael Schumacher walked away unscathed following a heavy crash during testing at the Barcelona circuit in Spain.

Schumacher lost control of his Ferrari going into the penultimate corner of the Spanish circuit, impacting at high speed against the tyre barriers. The rear and the right side of his F2001 was heavily damaged as a result of the accident, but he is fine.

He said "The accident was my fault but I am fine, I'm feeling okay,"

A spokesperson for the team (Sabine Kehm) said "He hit the tyre barriers with the back end of the car. He's absolutely fine but the car was quite badly damaged."

January 21st, 2002

Valencia Test : Last day

January 20th, 2002

Valencia Test : Second day

January 19th, 2002

Valencia Test : First day

The Ferrari driver, who got back to work this week when he tested at the Fiorano circuit on Tuesday, was driving at the Spanish circuit for the first time today, and after 101 laps Schumacher, driving last year's F2001 chassis.

Michael said : "I am happy to be testing again after my first run in the car last Monday in Fiorano. It is the first time I have tested here: it is an interesting circuit and fun to drive here. There are a couple of corners where you can't see the exit and a few difficult parts, but it's a fun track. It's hard to get into a good rhythm because there are too many turns. It reminds me of Magny Cours."

Today's times:

1. M.Schumacher       Ferrari                 (B) 1:12.657 101
2. Panis                    BAR-Honda           (B)         1:13.412 102
3. R.Schumacher       Williams-BMW      (M)        1:13.533 73
4. Barrichello           Ferrari                  (B) 1:13.546 18
5. Villeneuve             BAR-Honda           (B) 1:13.556 71
6. Pizzonia                Williams-BMW      (M) 1:13.599 62
7. Gene                     Williams-BMW      (M) 1:13.990 37
8. Fukuda                 BAR-Honda           (B) 1:14.400 60

Pos	Driver	Team		Time	Laps
1.	M.Schumacher	Ferrari	B	1'12"670	102
2.	O.Panis	BAR	B	1'13"430	102
3.	R.Barrichello	Ferrari	B	1'13"527	20
4.	R.Schumacher	Williams	M	1'13"528	73
5.	J.Villeneuve	BAR	B	1'13"566	75
6.	A.Pizzonia	Williams	M	1'13"610	64
7.	M.Gene	Williams	M	1'13"996	39
8.	R.Fukuda	BAR	B	1'15"419	62

Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1min12.679secs 101 laps
Olivier Panis BAR Honda 1min13.436secs 101 laps*
Ralf Schumacher WilliamsF1 BMW 1min13.530 21secs
Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 1min13.536secs 73 laps
Jacques Villeneuve BAR Honda 1min13.563secs 75 laps*
Antonio Pizzonia WilliamsF1 BMW 1min13.611secs 66 laps
Marc Gené WilliamsF1 BMW 1min14.008secs 41 laps
Ryo Fukuda BAR Honda 1min15.418secs 64 laps

January 17th, 2002

Schumacher hungry for some more!

Speaking on Thursday at a news conference at Ferrari's winter retreat.

Question : Michael, how have you prepared for the coming season - do you have a set routine each year?

M.Schumacher : When you have worked in F1 for a long time, you know exactly what you must do to prepare for the coming championship. However, this time it was a bit different, because almost never before over the past few years, have I spent so much time without competing in any sport. I had fun playing soccer and I feel in good shape, partly because of the good results last season and also thanks to the long gap which we have had. I relaxed with the family and recharged my batteries for what I hope will be another great season for us.
The real reason I did not have any time to do any sport during the break is that, for the first time, I had my 'summer holiday' in the winter. I went to Mauritius with the whole family and we just lazed around in T-shirts. In the first week, I did very little sport and I ate a lot - and then I realised I was putting on weight!
As a result, I immediately started doing some exercise to compensate. In Mauritius, I also played a bit of soccer and went cycling with my wife. Unfortunately, it's not very easy to go cycling in winter and I mainly played indoor football. In Norway, I did some cross-country skiing for the first time, which was an interesting experience. Apart from that, I spent a lot of time in the gym, which I do a lot of during the summer when I am at home.

Question : Do you have any problems motivating yourself for another campaign?

M.Schumacher : It's never a problem for me to stay motivated. Given that there are only 24 drivers in the world competing in F1, it is already enough to be really satisfying - and being in a top team is the best thing that can happen to you. Motor racing is my life. It always has been and I always wanted it that way. It is not a question of motivation. I race because I love it.

Question : There will be a time when you decide that enough is enough - do you foresee when this will be?

M.Schumacher : I haven't thought about it yet. I've been asked often enough, but now is not the time to think about it. As long as I can drive, I will do so.

Question : Why did you come back to test earlier than planned?

M.Schumacher : I just wanted to make sure I could still drive a racing car! I had been away from the cockpit for such a long time, I was a little bit concerned. I felt the need to drive on a track and so I called Todt and asked him if I could test. It gave me the opportunity to try the latest changes to the gearbox and a few other parts.
I am happy with the testing work. The new things we have tried have brought an increase in performance. As for reliability, when we first tried the new gearbox after the winter break, we had a few problems, because it is a completely new solution. It's good to see that now we can do a lot of laps and the last few tests were very important.

Question : What do attribute to your success in recent years - what part dos your team play in this success?

M.Schumacher : We are a very united team - we talk a lot. Over the years, the team has never taken a decision which I reckon was bad for the us, and the team has never felt that I have made a poor decision. We nearly always have the same opinion. The team is run by Jean Todt and Luca di Montezemolo and neither of them has ever asked me to take a decision for them. They are doing a great job.

Question : Given the fact that you have won a title in each of the past two years, do you think you will ever leave Ferrari?

M.Schumacher : I would not change teams for no good reason. We have a marvellous team, which is not only competitive, but also very strong on the human side. I am on friendly terms with the management and the mechanics, and I can see me staying with Ferrari for many more years. It might not be very realistic, but I can't see my life changing very much to the way it is now.

Question : How important a part in the team's success is Rubens Barrichello? Is there any truth in the rumour that he is clearly your number two?

M.Schumacher : Rubens is an important part of the team. From what I can see, the team give him the same support they offer me. I have no doubt about that. Ferrari is a big team and perfectly capable of running two cars. There is no difference in the equipment they provide us with.
The team is very happy with the job Rubens is doing and it has a good relationship with him. The two of us work well together. Sometimes we might have the odd problem, but it's inevitable that there are differences of opinion. However, the situation is very clear and the two of us enjoy a great working relationship.

Question : Do you think that Rubens can challenge you for the title - or will the threat come from somewhere else in 2002?

M.Schumacher : I think the main threat will come from my brother and his team-mate [Juan Montoya]. McLaren is an unknown quantity because they have changed tyre supplier and so we don't know how quickly they will adapt to the change.
I think though that McLaren and Williams-BMW will pose us the biggest threat, and I also reckon the BMW engine will be even stronger this year - added to which, Williams will have a better understanding of the tyres. McLaren has been very quick in testing, but that is perfectly normal, as they were running last year's car, which was usually the quickest in the 2001 championship. We will have to wait to see the new cars to see where everyone stands. [David] Coulthard is a very strong driver and he is bound to be a threat. We will have to wait and see how quick David is - and also [how quick] Kimi Raikkonen [proves to be].

Question : Will you miss Mika Hakkinen during his year off?

M.Schumacher : Sometimes Mika was too quick! Probably, my life would have been a bit easier if he had not been around. But Mika will also be missed for his human qualities and because he was always a great and fair competitor.

Question : How do you rate the other teams in the championship? Can they be successful?

M.Schumacher : There is no reason to think they cannot become top teams, as they have everything they need to do so. However, it takes time and given how things went last year it's unrealistic to think they can make a very big step forward in a short space of time and challenge for the title. This is only my opinion and, of course, I could be wrong.

Question : Much has been written about Ferrari's new car - is it a radical departure from F2001, and will it start the season?

M.Schumacher : It will be a completely new car, even if the changes aren't radical. It is definitely an evolution of last year's car and not a totally new project. Sometimes you have to start with a clean sheet of paper. However, this time, taking into account our experience from last year, we have just combined it with some new ideas. The aerodynamics will definitely be different. We have a new gearbox and some other new parts. That's why I reckon it's a completely new car.
Our programme is based on running the new car right from the first race. It's true we have the possibility of using last year's car if we need to, but I don't think that will be the case. In any case, I am confident that we will be in Melbourne with the new car.

Question : In Melbourne last year, you had a very big accident in practice - do you think the gravel trap made the incident worse?

M.Schumacher : I am in favour of using tarmac [instead of gravel]. At Fiorano, we have already adopted this method and I think it's a great idea. But there is still a lot to learn. There will still be accidents and safety will remain a fundamental element as far as I am concerned. There is always room for improvement.

January 16th, 2002

Ferrari drivers ready for some fun in the snow

The annual Vroom F1 press meeting of the Ferrari team is scheduled from 16 to 19 January at Madonna di Campiglio and all of the F1 drivers arrived at the Italian ski resort on Tuesday.

Michael Schumacher arrived with wife Corinna by helicopter on Tuesday, with Rubens Barrichello and new test driver Luciano Burti arriving at the event together. Luca Badoer also arrived on Tuesday as the majority of the Ferrari team did.

Barrichello and Burti is scheduled for a press conference on Wednesday, followed by Michael Schumacher and Luca Badoer's interviews on Thursday morning and that of Jean Todt on Thursday afternoon.

As well as the press interviews all four drivers will take part in various other events in the snow, including a slalom race on ski's scheduled for Thursday and a kart race on ice to take place on Friday.

January 14th, 2002

Fiorano Test Day One "Michael breaks track record in Fiorano"

Michael Schumacher had his first drive of the season today at Fiorano. The German driver, at the wheel of a F2001, continued with the job of developing new experimental components. Schumacher started driving at 11 o'clock and called it a day at 17h10. He covered a total of 69 laps, with a best time of 58"783.

This time is yet another record for Michael as he beat the mark he had set last year of 58.792.

January 11th, 2002

Michael Schumacher to ride in bobsleigh

Ferrari's Michael Schumacher is set for a run in a bobsleigh today.

"It was very interesting. At the end it was really quick, I was really impressed, It is a very nice sport but very different to Formula One, I really enjoyed it." the German said on Friday after his guest trip in a four - man bob after practice for a World Cup race scheduled for St Moritz this weekend.

Michael Schumacher sat as number two in the bob and was not involved in pushing down the run. His spokeswoman Sabine Kehm said the top speed was clocked at 137 km/h.

Michael returned to his Swiss home after the run and starts testing for the first time since the end of the 2001 season at the Spanish Valencia circuit on January 19.

January 4th, 2002

Michael's hopes for 2002

This year was no different from any other, apart from the
fact that the winter testing break was longer than normal so
in early December, the Schumacher family set off for Trysill
where they spent Christmas, New Year and also celebrated
Michael's birthday on 3rd January.

Michael said "Right from the start of December, I have been
preparing for next season. November was just a holiday, but
I did not neglect my training, even if I cut back from four
hours to two. But training is the basis for success, because
the year is very long and stressful. So right from the start
of December I was back to my usual regime. I did a bit of
everything : cycling, deep snow skiing and I was a regular
visitor to the gym. I like to have my batteries fully charged
for the start of the season."

"It is the most important thing, given that we are a happy
family, lacking for nothing."

"Even if we can suppose that we will have a competitive car this year, I think we can expect the same from our
competitors," reckons Michael. " However, overall, I can say
that things are going better than in previous years."

"I think we are on schedule to meet all our deadlines. In the
past we have started with everything new. But this time
round, given that the technical regulations have not changed
significantly, we have been able to work from a very good
base point. This is a good thing. At a push, the only unknown
could be the new transmission. But we have all of January
and February to develop it and even in this area, we can
base our work on what we did at the end of last year. I think
everything is progressing well."

This might be bad news for the competition, given that the
question on everyone's lips is who can beat Ferrari? Which
driver and which team ? McLaren - Mercedes maybe, or
BMW - Williams ? "I think both these teams will make our
life difficult. I can't say yet which driver will be my main
rival in the long run.It's always difficult to make predictions.
That was the case last year, when everyone reckoned it
would be Mika , but it turned out to be David. We will see.
I expect BMW - Williams to be even stronger than in 2001.
But we cannot rule out McLaren - Mercedes, even if the fact
they have switched to Michelin tyres might mean they will
need some time to adapt."

January 3rd, 2002

Happy birthday Michael Schumacher

World Champion Michael Schumacher is celebrating his 33rd birthday today (Born on 3rd January 1969).

Schumacher is now the record holder of the most Grand Prix victories, surpassing Alain Prost's total of 52 and with Juan Manuel Fangio's record of five world titles in his sights.

He comes into the 2002 season as favourite for the title, and on course to equal Fangio's standing in the world championship history books.

January 1st, 2002

Michael Schumacher Hailed As Champion Of Champions

French sports newspaper L'Equipe has added another award to Michael Schumacher's impressive tally by naming him its Champion of Champions in 2001. The Ferrari ace dominated the Formula One season last year and claimed his fourth World Championship title breaking long-standing records on his way.

The German retained his F1 crown with nine wins and a record points tally but the French newspaper's award was far closer than the Grand Prix season - just one point separating Schumacher from Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe. Schumacher scored 196 points to 195 for Thorpe, who won six gold medals and set world records in the 200, 400 and 800 metre freestyle events at the World Championships in Fukuoka in Japan

Michael said "I'm very surprised and very honoured by this nomination, But I know that standings like this one will never give a true image of all the year's performances so I also want to pay tribute to all the athletes who were nominated by the jury."

Italian 500cc motorcycling world champion Valentino Rossi was third with 102 points ahead of Moroccan middle distance runner Hicham El Guerrouj (90 points), who retained his world 1,500 metres title in Edmonton.