Schumacher Cautious on Chances

The rain that hit the second session helped the German's position on the timesheets and, although his team are optimistic about their form, he is keen to play down their chances.

"We definitely did better in the second session but the time difference is down to the fact that we were probably the only ones to run on new tyres before the rain came in the afternoon," said Schumacher.

"But the times do not reflect our true position and there is no reason to think we can be stronger than in Brazil. The unpredictable weather could help our cause."

Teammate Rubens Barrichello was far more upbeat about his day's work, as he ended the second session fourth overall.

"At first, with new tyres, the balance was not so good on the first lap. Then, I found quite a good balance towards the end of the day when my car was running on tyres that had already done a few laps," said the Brazilian. "So, I am reasonably confident as regards the rest of the weekend, as what counts is how the car was at the end."

Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn added: "I think the times in the second hour reflect the fact we used new tyres then, when most of the other teams did that in the morning, expecting the rain to come a bit earlier than it did.

"We look in reasonable shape and the car is well balanced, but for both tyre companies, degradation seems quite high here at this track, so a lot will depend on how well the tyres hold up on Sunday afternoon."

The Ferrari F2005s are running with the logos of the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics on their noses at Suzuka this weekend.