Schumacher Praying for Rain at Spa
Ferrari's Michael Schumacher is praying for rain at his favourite Spa circuit after seeing his title hopes evaporate last weekend
While Renault's Spaniard Fernando Alonso could become Formula One's youngest champion in Belgium on Sunday, Schumacher has had to re-assess his aims for the remaining four races of the season.
Keeping struggling Ferrari, champions for the past six years, among the top three teams is one challenge and trying to end the season with more than just one win is another.
Ferrari are just eight points ahead of fourth-placed Toyota.
Victory looks no more than a remote possibility at Spa however, with neither the seven times World Champion nor Brazilian teammate Rubens Barrichello scoring a point in last Sunday's Italian Grand Prix.
Only the capricious local weather gives Schumacher some hope as Formula One's master in the wet, when the unpredictable can happen.
"I am praying for it (the rain)," said the German, who celebrated his first Grand Prix win at the circuit in 1992 and his seventh title there last year.
No driver has won more times in Belgium than Schumacher, with six victories for Benetton and Ferrari since his race debut at Spa in 1991 with Jordan.
Formula One has not had a wet race this season but historic Spa, with its long and undulating track through the forests of the Ardennes, is the place to expect rain.
Heavy Showers
The skies obliged on Friday morning, with heavy showers soaking the circuit before the sun came out ahead of first practice for the last European race of the year.
Barrichello did not expect much of a change in Ferrari's performance from the Monza failure, however, and neither did team boss Jean Todt.
"There are no miracle cures in Formula One and therefore, with just a few days since the Italian Grand Prix, we cannot expect a turnaround in our fortunes here," said the Frenchman in a written preview of the race.
Ferrari, with chairman Luca di Montezemolo calling for a big push to turn around the situation before the end of the season in October, are pinning their hopes on the final three rounds in Brazil, Japan and China.
"We hope that, as a magic wand will not do the trick, all the work we are doing along with our (tyre) partners at Bridgestone will allow us to make a significant step forward in the final three races," said Todt.
"It will be important to succeed in this to lay the foundations for a change of fortune in 2006."
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
The 10 best Formula 1 drivers ever: Hamilton, Schumacher & more
Schumacher F1 watch collection could top $4 million in auction
The contrasting fortunes of F1's big-name moves to Ferrari
Why do so many F1 stars live in Monaco?
Bagnaia used Jerez MotoGP practice “as a test” for “big” change
Newgarden “didn’t rehearse” emotional IndyCar press conference
Teams expect Sainz's F1 China qualifying incident to be cleared up
How studying Tost, Whiting and Binotto shaped F1's latest team boss
The F1 hero to zero dividing line that has never been so thin
How Stroll and Magnussen revealed the scale of F1’s racing and rules problems
Did F1's new sprint format work?
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments