Schumacher Still Driven by Enjoyment of Competition

Five-times Formula One champion Michael Schumacher insists that it is pure enjoyment rather than the desire to go down as the greatest driver in the history of the sport that motivates him to continue racing.

"What I really want to do is just enjoy myself driving," he said in an interview with Spanish daily El Mundo today. "World titles are mere statistics."

The 34-year-old German, who will be bidding for a record-breaking sixth crown when the new Championship gets under way in Melbourne on Sunday, said his complete dominance of the sport has not dimmed his ambition for further success.

"You always want to do better," he said. "You are out there driving, competing and constantly challenging yourself and being challenged by the others? There is always something new to achieve.

"You have to remember that it doesn't matter to the other drivers what I have achieved in the past. They just want to beat me and I want to do the same to them. That's why the true motivation is in the competition and trying to go as fast as possible."

Schumacher, who won an unprecedented 11 of the 17 races last season on his way to his fifth title, says it is too early to make a judgement as to whether he is the greatest driver the sport has ever seen.

"I don't like thinking about things like that," he said. "I don't yet know if I am (the best ever) because I don't know what is to come and I still believe I am improving. Formula One moves so fast that there is always something new to learn.

"I will keep trying to get better and when I reach the moment when I am not capable of responding to the changes in the sport then it will be time to stop."

The Ferrari driver said he believed that this season's Championship would be more competitive than in recent years and that rule changes to qualifying, which is to become a single-lap shoot out, would add to the spectacle.

"I am sure Ferrari won't dominate as much as before and from what I have seen McLaren and Williams will be up there this time, although how close we have yet to see. What will be interesting is the new qualifying rules, which will make everything more exciting, although the technical changes will have little impact for the spectators."