Schumacher admits Michelin look strong

Schumacher was only third quickest in his Bridgestone-shod Ferrari as Michelin runners David Coulthard and Kimi Raikkonen of McLaren led the times by two-tenths of a second.

"The other tyre company seems to be showing strongly here," said Schumacher. "But we have often been in this situation at the start of the weekend, only to find it changes for the race. We planned to do a long run to see what the tyre performance was like. I think it will be close between us and our main competitors tomorrow, but I do believe we are in with a chance of fighting for pole position."

Schumacher completed 50 laps during the opening day, much more than usual as he evaluated his tyre options. His F2002 also featured a new aerodynamic package for this race, which technical director Ross Brawn was pleased with.

"We are happy with it and it did everything we expected from it," he said. "We are reasonably pleased with the day's work, although the slippery conditions make it difficult to assess the effect the changes on the car, but we have to find ways of improving the grip."