Schumacher: Title will be hard to lose

Schumacher holds a huge 43-point advantage over Williams duo Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher in the drivers' championship after both failed to score in Montreal. McLaren's David Coulthard, who finished second at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, is one point further back.

"It is going to be difficult to lose this title," said Schumacher. "But it is not as if I can ease up and stay at home. Anything could happen.

"Winning this race and having these points makes me quite a good step closer to the title, but there are nine races and 90 points to give away. I am only 43 ahead. It's nice but it's not done. It's not about being pessimistic, it is about being realistic."

Schumacher could wrap up the title in just three races time at the British Grand Prix. But the FIA inquiry into the Austrian GP Ferrari team orders controversy could change the face of the championship on June 26. Motorsport's governing body could dock the points Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello scored at the A1-Ring, leaving the German with more work to do before he can equal Juan Manuel Fangio's record of five titles.

And as Ferrari has warned before, it can't rule out a repeat of 1999 before celebrating another Schumacher title. That was the year when he was on course to claim Ferrari's first drivers' championship for 20 years, only for a leg-breaking shunt at Silverstone to ruin everything.