Let battle commence - Schumi - 7th March 18:15pm GMT

On the eve of the new Formula 1 season, Michael Schumacher revealed his state of mind going into the Grand Prix of Bahrain. He compared the current situation with that the Scuderia found itself in a year ago when the F2005 made its debut. "Finally the season has come around! In few other occasions ahead of a championship have I been as anxious as I am this year. We are well prepared and want to do well right from the start of the season. Further, we know the track fairly well as we tested there in mid-February. To be honest, I felt much less hopeful last year even though Bahrain was the third race in the calendar and this year it is the first. Last season we didn't even know if we would be able to get the new car to the starting grid, though we did it in the end. The race went quite well and I managed to keep pace with Fernando Alonso before suffering from hydraulic problems. This time, I think, we will be more competitive".

To round up, the seven-time world champion gave his opinion of the upcoming season. "We have to consider something more general: we have to ask ourselves whether we will be able to improve over the course of a season. This will be an important factor for us. However, Ferrari is traditionally adept at doing this and this time too there are positive signs. So, let battle commence. I cannot wait for the struggle to come"