Formula One: Burning Rubber Puts Brakes on Schumacher

Ferrari usually take racing very seriously, but after recent disappointments there has been an outburst of humour in the ranks. Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello have now been nicknamed "Fred and Barney" after the characters in The Flintstones cartoon.

The implication is that the Ferraris might as well run on stone tyres rather than the uncompetitive Bridgestone rubber which they have relied upon this year.

Schumacher knows that to get his season back on track he has to win on Sunday at Monaco - a venue where he last did so in 2000 - and for that to happen everything on his car has to operate at 100% efficiency, including the tyres.

At a recent meeting of Italian industrialists Luca di Montezemolo, Ferrari's president, is reported to have taken an oblique swipe at Bridgestone's efforts. Glancing at Alberto Bombassei, the proprietor of the team's brake supplier Brembo, he said: "If the tyres we have today worked as well as the brakes, then our Ferrari would win every race."

What a difference a year makes. Twelve months ago Schumacher arrived at Monaco unbeaten in the five races staged to that point, his form so dominant that there was speculation that he might win all 18 rounds of the 2004 world championship, especially given his then record of five wins out of 12 at Monaco.

In the event, his run of success ended in the playboys' paradise after a collision with Juan Pablo Montoya's Williams, though this proved to be only a minor setback on his way to an eventual tally of 13 wins and a seventh world title.

This weekend Schumacher returns to Monaco not simply seeking a sixth win through the unforgiving streets but also his first victory of the season. Ferrari are on the back foot, Bridgestone struggling to match a tyre to the promising F2005, and the prospects of an eighth championship for the German look increasingly remote this year from his position 34 points shy of the leader Fernando Alonso.

Schumacher knows the odds are stacked against him but his focus remains unwavering. "I always enjoy coming here. It's just a lot of fun to wind your way through the streets," he said. "Even though it will be difficult for us this time, because the position on the starting grid at Monaco is somewhat decisive for the outcome, that does not diminish my excitement.

"We are looking forward to taking on this challenge. Giving up is not an option, but giving up before you try is completely out of the question. This is sport and in sport anything is possible."

Schumacher's first victory at Monaco came in 1994 with the Benetton-Ford and he followed that up with a win the following year in the Benetton- Renault after a titanic battle with Damon Hill's Williams in the opening stages.

In 1996 he switched to Ferrari and demonstrated that Monaco could catch out even the most skilled and wary competitor. Leading the first lap on a track made slippery by a shower, he clipped the inside kerb on the final right-hander before the waterfront. The impact momentarily unsettled the car and pitched it straight into the opposite wall, removing its left front wheel in the impact and leaving the German with a long walk back to the pits to reflect on his error.

Schumacher is hoping that his intimate knowledge of every ripple of the 2.075-mile circuit will reap dividends this time, where the need for high aerodynamic downforce is matched only by the requirement for absolute precision from the man behind the wheel. But he will be at a disadvantage in the first qualifying session. The rules dictate that the running order for the first session is in the reverse order of the previous race result. So his retirement from the Spanish grand prix, where he suffered two deflated tyres, means he will be making his run early on, when the track is likely to be dusty and lacking in grip.

"The rules call for that and we will naturally try to make the best of it," he said. "We may be going through somewhat of a weak phase right now, but that's the way it is in sports. There are always ups and downs.

"We were doing extremely well for an unusually long period of time and now we're having to struggle a little bit. But we know what the reasons for that are and that's the most important thing."

Hisao Suganuma, Bridgestone's technical manager, has been working hard to rectify the problems. "We had a good test with Ferrari at the Fiorano circuit last week to make sure we have made the right choices," he said. "It's going to be a very interesting race." Schumacher will be hoping that he is right, and for all the right reasons.

Michael in Monaco

Year Qualified Finished Winner

2004 4th Retired Trulli

2003 5th 3rd Montoya

2002 3rd 2nd Coulthard

2001 2nd 1st

2000 1st Retired Coulthard

1999 2nd 1st

1998 4th 10th Hakkinen

1997 2nd 1st

1996 1st Retired Panis

1995 2nd 1st

1994 1st 1st

1993 2nd Retired Senna

1992 6th 4th Senna