Schumacher Relishing Indy Challenge

Michael Schumacher has called on his Ferrari team to produce another flawless Grand Prix in Indianapolis this weekend to push him closer to a sixth World Championship crown.

Schumacher was full of praise for his team's efforts after victory in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, but believes a repeat performance is essential for both his and Ferrari's title hopes. Now the German is confident that Ferrari are ready to fight and win a tight battle with rivals Williams-BMW and McLaren-Mercedes after Monza reignited his team's lust for success.

"It is a great challenge that we take on without fear and the other teams will do the same," said Schumacher. "The success at Monza has motivated us even more, but we know we are in a battle and we will not make the mistake of resting on our laurels.

"This means two things: predictions based on performances of years gone by are no longer reliable and that every tiny error can have serious consequences. We are talking about sport, and in sport you can never plan anything down the finest detail. In any case, we are very well prepared will show our fighting spirit once again at Indianapolis."

Victory at the Italian Grand Prix has left Schumacher three points ahead of Williams-BMW's Juan Pablo Montoya, with McLaren-Mercedes' Kimi Raikkonen a further four points behind in third. The result in Monza also saw the battle for the Constructors' Championship tighten, with Williams just four points ahead of Ferrari heading to Indianapolis.

Schumacher denied that the nature of the Indianapolis circuit is likely to favour any of the leading three teams - leaving a close race in prospect.

"We are geared up for Indianapolis: a lot of people say that it is a track that is more adapted to BMW-Williams but we can't say that we agree," said Schumacher. "The same thing was said about Monza but, after a tough fight, we won out.

"Whoever is able to exploit the resources during the weekend will come out on top. The competition is so tight that crossing the line first could depend on each day's results."