Schumacher ready for more

Schumacher finished the event eighth last year and while he knows his rivals will be strong at the high-downforce circuit in Budapest, he is confident the F2004 will be more than a match for them.

"I don't see why in Hungary we shouldn't fight for first place," the German said. "In my opinion, Renault, BAR-Honda and McLaren will do well but our car is good and I will be going all out for victory."

F1 has been on the annual three-week summer break since the German Grand Prix last month, but Ferrari, like other teams, has been working flat-out to prepare its cars for the remaining six races of the season. Meanwhile, Schumacher took the time to recover from his bout of flu that he suffered at Hockenheim.

"You should not interpret the word 'pause' that is associated with this period of the season as meaning that nothing gets done," he said. "It's important to train hard for (this race) and I have trained a lot. I started a week later as I had to recover from the flu that had bugged me at Hockenheim."

During the three weeks Schumacher said he would rather carry on racing than have a break, but he acknowledged that team members needed to recharge their batteries for the rest of the season. Now he's itching to get back into the cockpit once again.

"I am pleased that it is finally time to get behind the wheel again," he added. "I am a sporty type but right now I want to do nothing other than race. I can't wait for Friday (practice) when I can drive out of the pitlane at last."

Ferrari could take its sixth consecutive world championship in Hungary if he and team-mate Rubens Barrichello score nine points more than Renault's Fernando Alonso and Jarno Trulli. It won't be easy, though, for Renault won the race last year and will be a strong contender on the tight and twisty Hungaroring.