Schuey still up for a fight

The German has been buoyed by a record-breaking testing performance at Jerez in Spain last week, as the team worked on tyres for the season finale in Brazil, and he believes the rate of progress Ferrari is showing gives him huge optimism for the last two races of the campaign.

"That's what's so nice about Ferrari; we've won everything this season, but there are no signs of fatigue," he said. "Everybody continues to be motivated, we're all full of ideas and drive, and there's no stagnation.

"The racing-team still works with great attention to detail, and the test-team is also working non-stop. That's why it is always so pleasurable to get behind the wheel for this team."

Schumacher' s own motivation for progress was made clear when he chose to fly back to Europe between the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix to spend time at home before that brilliant day's testing in Spain.

"Tests like that are fun," he said: "It makes you feel like you are making progress as a team. We worked hard for the last two races of the season and it's been going really well."

Speaking about his expectations for the Japanese Grand Prix, Schumacher said: "We've got a fantastic car, so we obviously want to win. There's no question about that.

"Never mind that things didn't go too well in Shanghai. A lot of things went wrong at the same time there, but on the other hand it's probably quite normal that every once in a while you experience some difficulties. You have to stop thinking about it, I don't have a problem with that.

"My thoughts are already focused on the race in Suzuka, and because I really like the circuit there and have a lot of good memories in connection with it, I'm really looking forward to this race."