German laps up more praise

Huddersfield Daily Examiner (Huddersfield, England), July 23, 2004

Byline: By Alastair Moffatt

Michael schumacher has been lavished with praise by some of Formula One's leading figures but the world champion believes he has found a bigger star.

Schumacher has rewritten Formula One history in his 14 seasons at the top, claiming more titles, more wins and more points - to name just a few - than any other driver in history.

Those achievements were recognised by Formula One's big names in the run up to Sunday's German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, with the sport's supremo Bernie Ecclestone leading the praise.

He said: "Michael is a superstar. That is exactly what we wanted, as every sport needs a superstar and he is ours.

"Everybody tries to beat him and that is great publicity for Formula One.

"He is lucky to drive for a team that supports him the way Ferrari does but it was Michael who motivated them after their initial problems, helped improve them and get to where they are now.

"It is hard to know whether another driver in the same position would have the same effect - I guess we won't know until another champion comes along in a similar environment."

Schumacher today gets his preparations for the German Grand Prix under way with practice.

He is closing in on a sixth consecutive constructors' title with Ferrari but admits he needs to overcome bad luck at Hockenheim if he is to achieve his goal.

Schumacher has an indifferent record at his home track, with two wins during his grand prix career, but he hopes to put that behind him this weekend.

He said: "I did something good in Great Britain where I didn't have the best record and seemed to be able to turn that around. I hope to be able to do the same thing here."

Meanwhile Britain's Jenson Button is looking forward to a break after the race.

The Englishman admits the Formula One season so far has been a tiring affair, with eight races in less than three months prior to the summer break.

A trip to North America was followed quickly by back-to-back races in France and Britain and Button admits he is relieved to be closing in on a well-earned rest.

The Formula One circus has nearly three weeks off after Hockenheim and, with testing banned during that time, Button plans to put his holiday to good use.

He said: "It's a really tiring part of the season because it has been non-stop for the last few months, but it must be more difficult for the guys who aren't in a car that could do well.

"We are lucky we have a break after this one so we can relax."