LONDON - Michael Schumacher and misfiring Ferrari need to win tomorrow's San Marino Grand Prix.
Last year the German arrived at Imola, Ferrari's home circuit, heading for his seventh Formula One championship after three wins in a row.
He was dominant then but there is no triumphalism now. Schumacher is
24 points behind Renault's Spaniard Fernando Alonso and reeling from his worst start to a season in 14 years of grand prix racing.
Ferrari, winners of 15 of last year's 18 races, have a four-race losing streak to end and are sixth in the championship.
Even if Schumacher says he can afford to take risks at Imola because he has nothing to lose, he knows this is a key race and a real measure of Ferrari's title aspirations. Nobody has a better record there than Schumacher, winner five times in the past six years. Last year the German won from pole and also set the fastest race lap.
"Imola is important in many ways this year," said Schumacher.
"First of all it is our home race, which naturally makes it a race that we want to show a good performance at.
"This year, the start of the European leg of the season is also somewhat of a new beginning for us: we want to begin fighting for the championship title again now and we believe that our chances are quite good."
Even if Ferrari have sorted out the F2005's reliability and Bridgestone improved the tyres that showed heavy wear in Bahrain, Schumacher will still have his work cut out.
Renault, with Italian Giancarlo Fisichella hoping for a more powerful engine to boost his home hopes, will remain a big threat as they seek a fourth win in a row and Alonso's hat-trick.
Toyota also have high expectations after Italian Jarno Trulli's second places in Malaysia and Bahrain. Ralf Schumacher also won at Imola for Williams in 2001.
McLaren look to Finland's Kimi Raikkonen while Austrian Alexander Wurz starts his first grand prix for more than four years as a replacement for injured Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya.
- REUTERS
