2002 October News     Tuesday October 8th, 2002 Michael "I like this circuit very much" After  a  week  of  rest  and  relaxation  with   his   children, Michael  Schumacher  is  preparing  for  the  final  round  of the 2002 season, the Japanese Grand Prix  at  Suzuka.  With a busy schedule ahead  of him,  Michael  leaves for Japan on Tuesday,  ready for  a  press  conference  organised by tyre supplier Bridgestone in Tokyo  on  Wednesday, which he will attend along with Jean Todt and Rubens Barrichello. The following day the five times world champion will move to Suzuka, a circuit which he holds in high regard. Michael   said  “I particularly  like  this race. Because for the drivers it is yet another real challenge. Things get interesting immediately after the start line and the next five corners are even better. This  combination of  turns, all slightly uphill are pretty unique in Formula 1. They  are  tough on the driver and so, if you get it right they are exciting.  But in fact the whole track is good fun. Basically, I like this circuit very much.” Schumacher has good reason to look forward to the Japanese race.  For  starters,  he  is  a  big fan of the local cuisine and particularly keen on sushi.  Added  to  that  he loves the track and that has been proved over the past few years if one looks at his results in Japan. He  explained  “Ferrari  usually   goes  well   at  this   circuit, Suzuka   has  always   been  a  good   track  for us, especially in qualifying. I have also had some fantastic  races here from a personal point of view, such as my duel with  Mika Hakkinen in  2000,  which  I  reckon  was  one  of  my  best ever races. It brings backs great memories. On top  of  that, we shouldn’t forget   that   Ferrari  has  a  lot  of  fans  in Japan and their support  is  a big  plus  factor  for  us.” Michael  appreciates  the  support  he  can  count  on  at   the Japanese Grand Prix. “It is the last  race of  the  season  and so I would like to win and start the  winter break on the back of  a  victory.”  Given  Ferrari’s  record season and a car that has been fantastic on  all  the  circuits, it would be natural to approach this event  with a certain amount of confidence, but over  confidence  is  not Schumacher’s or the team’s style and so the world champion is playing down expectations. “We saw in Indianapolis  that  things  can change very quickly. The gap to the McLarens was much  smaller than in previous races and if we had both been on the same strategy, the gap would have been  even  smaller.  You can never take anything for granted in Formula 1.  We are aware of that and we will be ready and extremely  motivated  for  this  race.”