Schumacher optimistic of fighting for win

Schumacher was the second quickest racing driver today, only behind Renault rival Fernando Alonso.

In the morning session, Schumacher led those who will line up on the Formula One starting grid although Alonso, leading the seven times champion by 15 points after four races, did not set a time in that opening one-hour stint.

The German, winner at Imola two weeks ago for his first victory in 13 races, is seeking to prove his once-dominant team are genuine championship contenders again after a year of struggle.

"We had a good day and I am reasonably happy with the car," admitted Schumacher. "We are more or less where we expected to be. Looking at the times, the situation seems quite good. I opted for just one type of tyre for this first day of free practice, working only on this and the choice seemed to be the best one.

"Our main rivals also seem very strong, so I think it will be a very close fight. We are confident and from what we have seen, we are also competitive here. If we can put all the pieces of the jigsaw together then we can fight for the win."

Felipe Massa was also upbeat on Ferrari's chances for the weekend despite finishing down in 14th position.

"As usual, today was spent mainly comparing the two types of tyre Bridgestone has brought here for us and on finding the best set-up on the 248 F1," said Massa. "Michael and I split the work load, each trying a different type of tyre. Overall, I am reasonably happy with the way things went this afternoon and we now have a lot of data to study.

"We know we have a good potential and we have to try and improve the car for qualifying and most of all, for the race."