No Cause for Concern, Says Brawn

Ferrari kept their cool on Friday after Formula One leader Michael Schumacher finished eighth in first qualifying for Sunday's potentially Championship-deciding US Grand Prix.

"Michael had to cope with making the first run in the dry, after morning rain had left the track 'green' and dirty," said technical director Ross Brawn.

"But as today's times only serve to establish tomorrow's running order, there is no cause for concern. Both drivers are quite happy with their cars, although the rain prevented us from doing much tyre testing."

Schumacher can win a record sixth title on Sunday if circumstances favour him and keep rivals Juan Pablo Montoya and Kimi Raikkonen well behind him. The German leads Williams' Montoya by three points and McLaren's Raikkonen by seven with just the Japanese race to come on October 12.

Colombian Montoya was fifth quickest on Friday with Raikkonen ninth.

"The early runners in qualifying were slightly disadvantaged, especially after the rain that fell in the morning, which meant the track was a bit dirty and lacked grip," said Schumacher.

"This goes some way to explaining my time and position. However, if you look at the times set by Rubens and Ralf, it is clear that the situation is very close between us and our main rivals."

Schumacher's Brazilian teammate Rubens Barrichello, winner at Indianapolis last year in a controversial finish after the German braked at the line, was second fastest with Schumacher's brother Ralf fourth on the timesheets.

"As we expected, we look competitive," said Schumacher. "Hopefully, we can all run in the same track conditions tomorrow and have a good fight for the front row."