Schumacher turns the screw; Formula One.
Byline: IAN GORDONMICHAEL Schumacher is confident he can continue his spell of crushing Formula One dominance by scorching to victory in Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix.
Schumacher turned the last grand prix in Imola into a procession to clinch his 15th victory in only 24 races.
But he warned his rivals that he expected his radical new Ferrari to be even better in this weekend's race on the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona.
"We have made a step forward with the car, " said Schumacher - who already leads the championship by 14 points after just four races.
"We're confident the changes will make us quicker. I think we can show the potential of the car much more this weekend."
Schumacher is enjoying a spell of domination over his fellow drivers that, if it continues, could see him wrap up the title far earlier than last season when he clinched his fourth title with five races to spare.
The German last found himself trailing in the championship standings after the Italian Grand Prix, a race he in fact won, in September 2000.
In the 24 races since then, Schumacher has been on the podium an incredible 21 times - including those 15 victories.
As well as the wins, Schumacher has finished second on five occasions.
Schumacher roared to another nine wins last season to successfully defend the title - with the biggest points total and winning margin in championship history - while this year he has triumphed in three out of the first four races.
His qualifying record in the past 24 races is just as impressive with 16 poles and four other spots on the front row.
But Schumacher is far too experienced to ease off and rest on his laurels, but instead will keep focused throughout the remaining 13 races.
"In F1 you can never rest, never feel comfortable. You have to keep ahead and keep fighting until the job is done, " he said.
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| Title Annotation: | Sport |
|---|---|
| Publication: | Daily Post (Liverpool, England) |
| Date: | Apr 26, 2002 |
| Words: | 325 |
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