Schumacher braces himself for toughest season of his career

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER is bracing himself for the toughest seasons of his Formula One career as he bids to win a seventh driver’s crown.

The German expects this campaign to be even more competitive than last year when he only claimed his record sixth world championship in a fraught decider in Japan.

Schumacher has been victorious for the past four years and has guided Ferrari to five manufacturers’ titles in succession. However, after launching the F2004 at the team’s Italian factory in Maranello yesterday, Schumacher admitted: “The next one is always the toughest.