Schumacher Hopes to Fend Off Williams Challenge

Michael Schumacher is hoping to give his Italian fans something to cheer for at the San Marino Grand Prix next Sunday despite the strong opposition from the Williams team.

Ferrari driver Schumacher, winner of the Brazilian Grand Prix two weeks ago with the new F2002 chassis, arrives in Italy leading the Championship by eight points ahead of his brother Ralf, winner of last year's race at the Imola circuit with his Williams.

Schumacher has had to fight against both Ralf and teammate Juan Pablo Montoya in the initial three races of the 2002 season, and the German World Champion is not expecting that to change in the first of the European Grands Prix next weekend.

"The BMW-Williams will definitely be the most competitive team in Imola," said Schumacher in his team's preview. "Even last year they were very strong at this track. On the other hand, we made mistakes at the time, while Williams simply performed better.

"I would say the Williams have more top speed but we have other strong points. One is certainly our aerodynamics and actually, a lack of horsepower can be made up for in other ways such as in a better weight distribution. You have to look at a car as a complete package."

However, despite the strong challenge from the Williams drivers, Schumacher is hoping to secure his third win of the season, and make up for a disappointing race in 2001, when he retired with a mechanical failure.

"I am really looking forward to racing there," he added. "We are all in expectant mood as it is our home race and we hope we can count on a lot of support from the fans. We will need it, given that I expect Williams to be very competitive.

"I hope nevertheless to be able to give the fans what they want, seeing how this race went last year."