Grapevine: Schu Claims Ferrari Record, Others Disagree

Ferrari say Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher will claim yet another record on Sunday as the driver with the most starts for the Italian team.

But others believe the German must wait another two weeks for the Spanish Grand Prix in order to celebrate his latest milestone.

According to Ferrari, Schumacher will make his 97th start in the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola's Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit near their Maranello headquarters. They say he previously shared the record with Austrian Gerhard Berger, now BMW's motorsport head.

But the Italian daily Gazzetta dello Sport listed Schumacher's Ferrari starts to date at 95 and Berger's at 96, a discrepancy that produced a clarification from the team on Saturday.

According to a Ferrari spokesman, the team count the 1996 French Grand Prix as a start - even though Schumacher did not actually make it on to the grid. He had qualified on pole but his engine blew on the warm-up lap after the pitlane had closed, forcing him to retire before the lights signalled the start proper.

Schumacher, who has broken record after record in recent years but regularly declares himself unsure about statistics, seemed convinced enough that the record was his.

"It certainly means a lot to me," he told a news conference after qualifying on pole. "It shows the kind of confidence I have being there (at Ferrari). I think it's a big compliment, for me at least, to be able to run so long together with one team and they're still happy with me."

Schumacher has been at Ferrari since 1996 and already has the Formula One record for the most wins, most points in a single season, most fastest laps and most career points.

He has taken 36 of his 55 wins with Ferrari, a greater haul than any other driver for the team, and last season became the first Ferrari driver to take back to back Championships since Italian Alberto Ascari in 1953.

Ferrari, the only team to have competed in the World Championship since the first race in 1950, have also taken part in more races than any other team.