After a week of intensive testing which involved all four of the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro drivers, Michael Schumacher spent a relaxing weekend at home in Switzerland. Given that his two days of testing at Fiorano and Mugello went off without a hitch, Michael can approach the forthcoming Austrian Grand Prix in a calm state of mind. The only item on the German champion’s agenda is a football charity match to be held on Wednesday at Nova Gorica when the Nazionale Piloti team takes to the pitch.

Having won the Spanish Grand Prix and closed the gap to the McLarens who appeared to be running away in the lead, now is the time to persevere and make up more ground in the championship. “Last week, we did a lot of work and accumulated promising data which means we can be optimistic about the Austrian GP,” explained Michael. “Obviously, we want to reduce the gap still further or even better, to turn the situation around, which would be the ideal result.”

In Barcelona, McLaren-Mercedes, the Maranello marque’s main rivals had a less than ideal race, while Renault had an almost perfect one. Michael was asked if the Spanish result indicated a change in the pecking order among the teams and if Renault should now be seen as Ferrari’s main opposition. “I don’t think Renault have made such a step forward,” commented Michael. “In my opinion there is no point in assuming a different order based on just one race. I am starting from the presumption that McLaren-Mercedes will still be our main opponent. They have been strong since the start of the year, even if Renault scored an excellent result in Spain. But I think it will be interesting to see how things develop over the next few races, not only with regard to Renault but also how things go for BMW-Williams. Even on the driver side, I think that, in the long term, the McLaren guys will be the most competitive. Kimi is still leading the championship and is a great driver, but you can never rule out David.”

With all these questions unanswered, plenty of excitement lies ahead. After the first five races, Michael adopts a positive slant to the fight for the championship. “I think the championship is pretty exciting, not only for those directly involved, but also for the spectators and the fans. It is very close and, looking at the drivers’ classification, you realise that there are still several drivers in the running. I am sure the 2003 season will be a tough fight right to the end. We are ready now for Austria. Every single race is important,” said Michael with a smile, “and we have already been through our difficult moment.”