Schumacher looking forward to Germany

The Ferrari driver was caught behind team-mate and eventual winner Rubens Barrichello when the pair pitted together during the Safety Car period on lap 12 and spent much of the race stuck behind Fernando Alonso and Jacques Villeneuve in the midfield before working his way back into the points in the latter stages of the race.

"The fight for the title is still open and that is the important thing," he said. "I'll admit I would have preferred to extend my lead over Kimi [Raikkonen], but looking at the race with hindsight, I cannot complain.

"The race itself had moments of real madness and was action-packed. I spent much of it far down the field, so I can be completely satisfied with fourth place.

"Above all, I am happy to see that we have made a consistent step forward in terms of performance. This is reassuring because, with the testing ban, we won't be testing again until the end of August, but I can take heart from the knowledge we are prepared for the next few races. Rubens drove a great race and won on merit. It was a well-deserved victory."

The next round at Hockenheim, the German Grand Prix, will be Schumacher's home circuit and the five-times world champion is hoping to bounce back having not won a race since the Canadian GP in mid-June.

"I cannot wait to race at Hockenheim," he said. "Driving the new track is great fun. In my opinion, the modifications introduced last year are a great success. The new layout is very flowing with a few tight sections which makes for overtaking opportunities. Racing here is a real challenge and I like it."