The disillusion in Bahrain on Sunday was, at first, deep as Michael Schumacher had not retired from a race in more than three and a half years due to a technical problem.

Naturally, the current champion had a long discussion with his team immediately after the race. However, there were many reasons to be satisfied at the end of the third race of the season. The new Ferrari F2005 met all expectations and all the hard work carried out following the defeat in Malaysia bore fruit even though this was not reflected in the race result.

"Having to retire was very disappointing, naturally", revealed Michael. "To begin with I thought the problem was due to the small pieces of debris that were being kicked up everywhere during the first lap. However, our checks proved that, without a doubt, this was not the cause of the hydraulic problem".

"In any case I believe that there were many positives to be drawn from this weekend in Bahrain. We have improved in a lot of areas compared to Malaysia and we were competitive. We are in a good position going into the next races and we know that we can challenge for victory. I am convinced that we will win some races this season in the F2005".
 

"Obviously we have to improve the reliability but we have proved in the past to be able to find the necessary consistency. It was also encouraging to see how quick the Bridgestones were over the course of a single lap. I think that these are all positive signals and after only three of nineteen races nothing is yet lost. In the three weeks until the next race at Imola we have to continue working hard, exactly as we did before. Seeing as this time we have a three-week break we can work harder than we usually do and this could work in our favour. I think that things will go well at Imola".

Is the 24 point gap to Alonso maybe impossible to make up? "Definitely not", declared Michael. "We shouldn't be taken in by the first three races. The season still has a long way to go and there are sixteen races left. A lot can still happen. As I have said, I expect to win races in the F2005. I have not given up on the title!".