2002 June News     Friday June 7th, 2002 Michael 'We can be more optimistic this year' Schumacher,  attended  a  press conference for Bridgestone upon arriving in Montreal yesterday. Michael  said  “I  came  to  the  USA,  spending  my  time  on a  ranch  in  Texas, with  my  wife Corinna and some friends. This  has  become  something  of a tradition, in that I always have  a  week’s  holiday in  North America,  before this race. I really enjoyed the wide open spaces. We did a lot of horse riding  and  Corinna  really  loves  this  activity. It was great fun. It  was  also a case of going back to school as we learnt a lot of new things about horse riding.” Speaking  at  a  Bridgestone  press  conference in downtown Montreal  this  morning,  the championship leader, known for his  love  of  football,  was  asked  about the World Cup. “Of course,  I  have  been  watching  the  soccer  World  Cup  on television in the early morning. I saw both  Germany matches, getting   up   at   six  in  the  morning.  The  first   game  was something of a walkover for us as we beat Saudi Arabia 8-0. But  the  second game against Ireland was much tougher and we  were  lucky  to get a draw in the end. I do think that we will get through our group and go ahead into the next round.” Michael  seemed eager to head out of town for the Ile Notre Dame track.  He  said   “I  am  planning  to  walk  around  the circuit  here  this  afternoon.  I  always  do  this,  but   it   is especially  important  as  there are quite a few changes from last  year,  which  I  am  keen  to  inspect. It is hard to make predictions  about  what to expect this weekend, but we can be more optimistic  this  year. I think the key to winning here on  Sunday,  is  to stay out as long as possible before making the  first  pit  stop,  but  of  course  you also need the speed and  a  good  package  of  course.  As  far  as  the  tyres are concerned ,   I  am   sure   we  will  be  in  good   shape,   as Bridgestone  has  done  a  lot  of  testing  aimed specifically at  this  unusual  circuit.  It’s  too  harsh  to  say  I don’t like this  track, although it is true that it’s not one of my outright favourites.  It  is a bit stop and go, with corners that are not really very challenging.” Naturally,  the  Canadian  media  were interested in Michael Schumacher’s  opinion of their local boy, Jacques Villeneuve. He  said  “It  is  difficult  to  judge  his  performance, as his car  is  not  competitive  at  the  top  level.  I can’t say I miss competing against him, because the main thing is to have some competition  and  there  is  still  plenty of that at the moment, from my own team-mate and the Williams duo.”