Schumacher stays positive despite penalty

The V8 power-unit on his car had to be changed before qualifying amid fears that it may not last the race - meaning he automatically loses 10 places on the grid.

With engine problems for other drivers meaning Schumacher will start the race from 13th on the grid, the fact he is only a couple of slots behind title rivals Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso means he is not too disheartened by the situation.

"I'll be starting from the sixth row which isn't too bad considering the penalty inflicted for the engine change," he said. "We're satisfied with this position and obviously I hope to end up in the points.

"I'd be really happy if I could get a podium finish.  Considering the circumstances, our objective is not to lose touch with the drivers who presumably will be fighting for the championship. The fact that Alonso and Raikkonen aren't too far ahead on the grid certainly helps me a bit.

"It'll be interesting to see whether overtaking will be possible and how much fuel the others have on board. During unofficial practice we have seen that our race pace is fine.

"It's a pity that we've lost ten places on the grid because of this engine problem, but I would rather try and bring home a few points than end up with nothing at all."

Although Schumacher still has the chance of a good result tomorrow, teammate Felipe Massa will have more of an uphill struggle. He was due to have his second engine change after qualifying, which means he will start from the back row.

The Brazilian said: "Obviously I'm very disappointed because I was convinced that I had the potential to compete with the front runners. We chose to do only the first part of the qualifying session so as to be able and start the race with as much fuel as we want and in order to save our new sets of tyres and keep a fresh engine for the race.

"This morning, when I was running on used tyres and with quite a lot of fuel on board, I felt that the car in this configuration was performing excellently. Tomorrow is going to be difficult for me, but in racing you never know what can happen: perhaps a weekend that got off to a bad start could end up quite well."

Ferrari sporting director Jean Todt was adamant the team had taken the right decision in changing the engines on both cars, because it is vital the outfit keep scoring points.

"The championship has only just begun, but even if we are now going through a difficult moment with the reliability of the V8 engine, what is important is to try and pick up as many points as possible," he said.

"All kinds of things can happen for us tomorrow, but this is true for the others as well."