Schumacher: Life better than ever at Ferrari

World championship dominator Michael Schumacher claims that the atmosphere at Ferrari is better than ever following its stunning 1-2 finish in Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix, despite the fact its cars started sixth and seventh on the Montreal grid

Schumacher and team-mate Rubens Barrichello used a two-stop strategy to perfection in Canada, making up for tyre supplier Bridgestone's deficiency to rivals Michelin in qualifying.

"After such a successful a race as Montreal, we go into Indianapolis with more desire," said Schumacher. "Winning naturally ups the team spirit even though, I think, it is hard for it to be better than it is now."

Schumacher has tipped Williams' Ralf Schumacher, who finished runner-up on the road in Montreal, as his anticipated closest challenger this weekend, along with the BAR-Honda squad, which flattered to deceive in Montreal.

"I think that Ralf and BAR will be very strong, but so are we," said Schumacher. "We hope to notch another win. Three days' rest between Canada and the USA are necessary to stir the desires for the next race. Make no mistake: we want to go for victory and we will be competitive.

"You have to compromise on the set-up on this track as there is the long straight to consider but then there is the twisty internal section. It is not always easy to do this though we have frequently done well. This year our car is so versatile that I have lots of faith in it."