Schumacher vows to battle young guns

Michael Schumacher insisted the racer in him will not allow the next generation of drivers to overhaul him without a fight.

His dogged defiance of charging young guns Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen in the previous grand prix in Japan suggested the German, who has won a record 84 grands prix, was still driving with something to prove.

The deposed world champion has only taken one win in 2005 – in the six-car farce at Indianapolis – and his Ferrari has been no match for the pacesetting Renaults and McLarens throughout a disappointing campaign.

But Schumacher remains determined to put himself in a position to win next season, even if topping the podium is not the be-all and end-all.

He said: “The assumption that I’m a results-driven person is not necessarily right. I have had races where I have had great fun and there have been others where that has not been the case.

“There have been moments that have not been easy and others that have been quite satisfying, such as Monaco.

“But it doesn’t really matter who it is, you just want to be there to challenge people. It doesn’t necessarily need to be end in a win, just to be in the position to fight for it.

“Kimi and Fernando have shown their potential clearly but there are plenty of other guys around who may have the opportunity to show themselves too.”

Meanwhile, Schumacher is adamant Formula One fans must be at the forefront of proposals to change the format of qualifying.

Discussions have been held to introduce a system which sees slower cars progressively eliminated throughout the qualifying hour.

But the seven-time world champion wants to ensure that changes are fan-friendly.

“The fact is we have changed qualifying a lot and of all those formats none was the good one,” he said.

“My conclusion is there is no optimum one that will satisfy everyone. It doesn’t exist as people have different opinions.

“So whatever it is, we should stick with it and leave it so that people understand it because there are a lot of people who watch Formula One racing who are not into the details as much as the drivers and journalists.

“As soon as you don’t understand sport, it becomes more difficult to follow it. People could lose interest.

“That is the factor that should be highly considered before any changes are made.”