Jenson Button was fastest and team mate Lewis Hamilton second as McLaren dominated practice at a wet German Grand Prix on Friday while Michael Schumacher emerged unscathed from an embarrassing crash.
Ferrari's technical director said the Finn is an exceptional driver who doesn't appear to make many errors.
World champion Michael Schumacher has recovered from flu and is itching to chalk up a record 12th victory of the season.
Michael Schumacher rolled back the years in electrifying fashion to qualify fastest for the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix on Saturday, only to be deprived of a sensational pole position by a five place grid penalty.
The six-times world champion's 200th Grand Prix saw him spray the winner's champagne for the 75th time in his career.
According to Di Spiers, who ran the Benetton motorhome, a distraught Michael Schumacher blamed himself for Ayrton Senna's accident at the fateful San Marino Grand Prix in 1994.
Finnish team mate Kimi Raikkonen, who started on pole for the first time in nine years but lost the lead in the pitstops, made sure of a Ferrari one-two with Hamilton finishing seventh for Mercedes after starting 13th.
Last season, the Ferrari driver left Magny-Cours after winning his fifth world title with six races to spare.
'I'm the first one to say we shouldn't be speaking bad about things on TV, but I think the new qualifying format is pretty rubbish'
Fernando Alonso may have singled out Michael Schumacher as a big Formula One title rival this season but McLaren's Lewis Hamilton was having none of that after calling his own team's new car a masterpiece on Friday.
Roger Federer, Michael Schumacher and Tiger Woods are all in the running for a third Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award.
French Formula One driver Romain Grosjean, whose future with the Lotus team is yet to be confirmed, beat Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher on his way to winning the Race of Champions event in Bangkok on Sunday.
Paddock sentiment has started swinging towards the expectation that the German will continue for another year or two.
Seven-times world champion, Michael Schumacher, struggling to make an impact in his Formula One comeback with Mercedes at the age of 41 and three years after he retired, recognised that he had failed to meet some people's expectations.
Ferrari's Felipe Massa and former team mate Michael Schumacher completed a one-two finish in a kart race on Sunday in the Brazilian's first competitive event since his life-threatening accident in July.
The Ferrari driver believes Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix will not be the same without the excluded BAR team and Jenson Button.
The Brazilian was 0.265 seconds quicker than the championship leader who is seeking his eighth win in nine races.
As his stunned rivals licked their wounds, Schumacher warned that Ferrari would not have it that easy at the next race in Malaysia on March 21.
The German won a wet and wild US Grand Prix while Colombian rival Juan Pablo Montoya's title hopes were blown away.
Ferrari's ace is resigned to the idea of his younger brother helping the Colombian become world champion at his expense.
The five-times Formula One world champion would consider retiring if a faster driver threatened his dominance.
Schumacher's existing deal was due to expire at the end of the 2004 season.
The F1 ace said the electronic aids allows the driver the possibility to exploit the potential of the car.
Fans of Michael Schumacher will hold a 'silent' vigil for the injured Formula 1 driver to mark his 45th birthday on Friday.
Michael Schumacher advised brother Ralf that it might be time to retire from F1 rather than crawl in an uncompetitive car.
The Red Bull driver is his own man, no longer the 'Baby Schumi' of old even if the smiling 26-year-old displayed some distinctly Michael Schumacher-like traits on his way to becoming the sport's youngest quadruple champion.
Renault's world champion Fernando Alonso has been elected as a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association in place of retiring Ferrari rival Michael Schumacher.
Seven times Formula One champion Michael Schumacher, who returned from retirement recently, will shake off a bit more rustiness in Sunday's Australian Grand Prix before fully regaining his brilliance the following weekend in Malaysia, said Austrian legend Niki Lauda.
"Welcome to the gang." Coming from the matchless Michael Schumacher, these generous words sweetened Karun Chandhok's Formula One debut in Bahrain but looking ahead, India's newest F1 driver reckons a jerky ride awaits him this season.
India's Formula One debutant Karun Chandhok, who got his super licence on Sunday, says he'd like to see seven-times champion Michael Schumacher beat Hamilton this season.
British F1 driver Lewis Hamilton has caused an online stir after posting photos of him skiing with his brother just days after Michael Schumacher's shocking accident in the Alps.
Rule changes allowing pitstops for tyres and a reduction in engine size will make the sport safer, said the Ferrari ace.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances