Looking ahead to this weekend's home race for his team, Michael Schumacher said: "If I think about the state in which find ourselves at Monza this year, and that in which we were last year, there is a huge difference.

"Last year we knew that we already had both world titles in the bag," he continued. "This time around we are not in such a fortunate position and the chances of winning the title are remote. Still, it is our home race.

"Even though our current results are not up to those of the past, we will go into the race with the same spirit and motivation of the past few years and we are certain that our fans will realise this. Is it not the case that our true supporters will stick by us in difficult times? Our fans were very encouraging during last week's tests I was very pleased at their enthusiasm. We promise to do our best for them this weekend and give our all.

"After the race in Turkey our expectations were dimmed but we have done better in testing. I think we can get amongst the points and even make the podium," added the German. "However, it will only be clear once we are on the track on Friday, as we discovered last year, and then we will see how the weekend goes. As I have said, this is a very important race for us and we, by nature, enjoy a good battle.

"Tonight there will be an event that will stir the supporters' emotions," he added. "There will be the traditional benefit football match with the national drivers' team. We will all have fun, as we do when we drive."