07.09.2004 "It is important that the blowout is analysed, however, I am not at all hurt and so I am not going to worry about it" Michael Schumacher reflects on his testing crash AND looks forward to THE ITALIAN GRAND PRIX

Michael Schumacher has been involved in Formula 1 for years now but on Sunday he did something rather unusual in the sport: during the Ferrari Racing Days event at Nurburgring, the seven time world champion drove round the circuit the opposite way.

‘I really had fun’, revealed a smiling Schumacher. The German champ spent a quarter of an hour having at the wheel of his single-seater going to and fro from the start to the finish line straight.

He was roared on by 50,000 fans throughout. Schumacher had earlier driven the Ferrari 575 GTC and the Maserati MC12, letting everybody see that last week’s crash at Monza was forgotten about.

'I feel fit and am in one piece', declared Michael, though he admitted that 'it was fortunate that the accident ended up as it did and that there were no unfortunate consequences. Considering the how bad it was, I came out of it well and without hurting myself'.

His desire to drive and his motivation were not wholly unaffected by the incident. 'It is important that the cause of the blowout is analysed. However, I am not at all hurt and so I am not going to worry about it too much'.

So, Michael is focused on the weekend's race. After winning both titles, the Monza Grand Prix should be an enjoyable affair for Ferrari. 'The fans are always behind us and their support is important; this is the reason that we can celebrate and so this weekend too we can give the fans a reason to party. Naturally, we hope to continue this marvellous season with a win at Monza.

'It will not be a walk in the park, as was proved at testing. The other teams are improving and will make it tough for us but it is our home race and this is an extra motivation. There should be huge crowds yet again. I cannot promise that this will be enough to win – this is sport, after all – but I can say that each of us will give our all, as always, hoping for a great celebration in the afternoon.'