Schumacher surprised by advantage
Michael Schumacher, whose two previous United States Grand Prix starts have yielded a win and a second place, has expressed his surprise at Ferrari's advantage during Friday practice
The German topped the time-sheets with a mark of 1m13.548s, some 0.575s clear of former team-mate Eddie Irvine's Jaguar.
"I am surprised at the gap to the others and the order is also a bit strange," said the five-times world champion. "But we will not see the true picture until tomorrow, as we cannot be sure what fuel loads the others were running today.
"There was not much grip out on the track today, but we have seen a similar situation in the past here. It is the same for everyone."
Schumacher ended his session early after completing 33 laps as a precaution after the massive tyre-induced accident which befell team-mate Rubens Barrichello during the first session.
"After Rubens Barrichello's accident this morning," explained Ferrari Technical Director Ross Brawn, "we chose to keep Michael in the garage while we investigated the cause of the crash. "
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