Schuey: Past is no guide to form

The four times world champion is feeling confident going into the Barcelona round, but refuses to get carried away, even though most people in the sport reckon that Ferrari is the overwhelming favourite for this weekend. He won last year's Spanish GP after Mika Hakkinen retired from the lead on the last lap.

"Testing at Barcelona at the end of March showed that we are looking good at this circuit," Schumacher said. "Whatever happens, we should be competitive. However, it's best to be cautious when making predictions. We also went well in Brazil and Imola, circuits which should have favoured the Williams.

"In my opinion, what happened last year is no longer relevant. The past has shown that F1 is constantly changing and there is no reason why that should not still be the case. One should also bear in mind that Williams and Michelin have done most of their testing in Barcelona."

Schumacher does predict that the tyre war - as ever - will be a deciding factor this weekend. "Tyres are definitely important in Barcelona, and the Bridgestone engineers have made further progress in development terms."

Williams needs to hit back in Spain after two consecutive defeats. Schumacher has opened up a 14-point lead in the drivers' standings over his brother Ralf, with Juan Pablo Montoya a further three points down.