Schumacher eager to be back racing after the summer break

Alastair Moffitt

Formula One’s three-week break will have been welcomed with relief by his mechanics and most of his rivals after a gruelling season but Schumacher insists he would rather have continued racing.

Formula One is edging towards the end of the busiest-ever season but Schumacher, 36, is adamant he is not suffering fatigue.

The Ferrari driver, who is potentially just two races away from relinquishing his world crown, hopes to use his experience to good effect on Formula One’s first visit to the Istanbul Otodrom.

“After the break there is even more impatience to get back on the track,” he said. “This short break was perhaps necessary for some people but, if I had the choice, I wouldn’t have taken it. I am pleased to be getting going again.

“I think I can adapt very well to the new track. I have not had the chance to take a good look at the circuit yet but I think that it is a mixed one with long, fast curves. It seems an interesting one. We will see how things go.”

Fernando Alonso is inching closer to becoming the first man since 1999 to beat Schumacher in the world championship.

The Renault driver leads McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen by 26 points, with Schumacher another six behind, and believes he is well placed this weekend in Turkey.

Alonso maintains his refusal to talk about his impending championship win though, insisting he is looking no further ahead than Sunday’s race.

“I am looking at the races one by one, not at anything else,” he said. “It is nice to arrive in Turkey in this position though.

“We still have a strong car, and the team is very motivated. I am refreshed after the break, and ready to attack the final races of the year. The team is leading both championships, and that is the best position to be in right now.”

Alonso’s team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella is convinced Renault will return to form in Turkey after a disappointing result in Hungary.

“I expect us to be very strong,” he said. “We were not good in Hungary, but we have not performed to our expectations this season on the slow circuits.

“Turkey is much more like the tracks where we have been successful. I think we will be in the hunt for podium finishes.”