Last weekend saw Michael Schumacher adopting unusual colours, or at least for a morning. Instead of the usual Ferrari red, the German switched to the black and white of JuvenSchumacher in black and white of Juventus. Last Saturday, Michael took part in a training session with the famous Italian soccer team. “It was more than just a bit of fun,” said Michael. “I went through a complete training session with the players. The idea of doing this has been around for a while, but for one reason or another, up until last Saturday, it never happened. It’s well known that I love playing football, so I was not going to let the opportunity pass me by. It was also a way of mixing business with pleasure, as not only was training with Juventus great fun, it was also a good physical workout for my racing. In a way, it was integrated into the intensive training programme I have undertaken in the past two weeks.”

The trip to Turin was also the opportunity for a motorbike ride with a few friends, having spent the previous days with his family. Making the most of the good weather, Michael and Corinna enjoyed themselves with their children. “We didn’t do anything special, we were just all together. Now, I feel my batteries are fully recharged. I am ready for Hungary, a race which is obviously full of good memories for me, not just because I won the title there in 2001, but also because of a great win there in 1998.”

Apart from Michael, Ferrari will also have to be in top form in Budapest. There are all sorts of whispers about the red team’s level of competitiveness in the Hungarian Grand Prix, but Michael has this to say on the subject. “The way the season has gone so far has shown that the situation changes a lot more often than we could have expected. So, it has always been difficult to make predictions. Things are much more complicated than they seem from the outside. It’s true we were not very competitive in Hockenheim, but we won in Silverstone. Performance is linked to more than just one factor and you have to consider elements like the characteristic of the corners and the track surface. So, I think the situation is very open and hopefully, in Budapest, we will be stronger than people expect.”

Backing up Michael’s optimism is the fact that the Gestione Sportiva has been working flat out recently, even at a time when most of Italy is on holiday. “One of the reasons I hold the team in high regard is that I can count on them,” said the world champion. “Everyone is very motivated and I know this not just because of the experience of the past few years we have spent together, but also because of all the phone calls we have exchanged in the past few days. Everyone is concentrating fully. Budapest doesn’t frighten me!”