World champion Michael Schu-macher shrugged off suggestions he was under pressure on Thur-sday and presented himself instead as the hard man of Formula One.
Without a podium from two races this year, Ferrari's five times world champion said he could handle the heat after his worst ever start to a season.
"When the going gets tough, the tough get going. That's my thinking," the German told a news conference before Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos.
"At the moment things are going a little bit tougher and we become stronger," he said. "I'm not worried for what has happened.
"I know what did happen, I feel that as long as you can analyse it and understand it then you can still look ahead and we do look ahead," he said.
"The first two races are not too good. Still, we got eight points out of these not very good races for us and our time will come again."
Schumacher finished fourth in the season-opening in Australia after Ferrari made a poor tyre choice and had only himself to blame in Malaysia for a first lap collision.
The incident, in which he hit the rear of Jarno Trulli's Renault, left Schumacher sixth in the race and also sixth in the championship.
Australia was the first time since September 2000 that Schumacher had relinquished the championship lead and the first time since September 2001 he had finished off the podium.
"It will be a much tougher season, a much tighter competition and that's what we face," said the German.
Schumacher suggested that pressure was a double-edged sword and deflected claims from rivals such as McLaren's David Coulthard that he made more mistakes when under stress.
"I have the reputation of being great under pressure and I have the reputation of doing mistakes under pressure. So, take the one you like," he said.
The German said there had been no particular inquest at Ferrari after the disappointing first two races.
"We analyse and discuss all the races to be prepared for the next," he said. "But it was very clear what happened to us in the first two races and there was no need to get together particularly to change our strategy or our approach."
The opening races, rich in drama and surprise after rule changes, have been credited with reviving Formula One after a year of Ferrari domination when the Italian team won 15 of the 17 races last year.
Schumacher disagreed with the premise advocated by many fans last year that the sport had either become boring or was somehow in need of saving.
"In sport, not only in Formula One, there has always been certain kinds of dominance from either a tennis player or a team or whatever," he said.
Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev was the only athlete to “beat” a world record on Sunday at the Enhanced Games, winning the men’s 50m freestyle at the divisive competition where athletes were free to take performance-enhancing substances. His time of 20.81 seconds — which is not considered official — came in the final event of the night in Las Vegas, sparing the blushes of organizers who made claims that multiple world records would be surpassed due to a sophisticated doping regime. Gkolomeev, who was wearing a synthetic “supersuit” long banned at events such as the Olympics, outpaced Australia’s Cameron McEvoy’s 20.88 set in
Fred Kerley is competing unaugmented against drug-fuelled athletes at this weekend’s Enhanced Games and still hopes to race in the 2028 Olympics, the suspended former 100m world champion said on Friday. Arguably the biggest name at the divisive event in Las Vegas, where doping is permitted, the US sprinter said he had chosen not to take any of the banned substances including testosterone and steroids that his competitors have been using. “I don’t need it. God gave me fast feet for a reason. And I’m here to showcase my talent,” Kerley said. Kerley last September became the first US competitor and first track
The manager of the Yomiuri Giants, one of Japan’s most popular baseball teams, resigned yesterday after he was arrested for allegedly physically attacking his teenage daughter. Shinnosuke Abe allegedly grabbed the 18-year-old and forced her to the floor at their home in central Tokyo on Monday evening, reported national broadcaster NHK and Kyodo News, citing unnamed police sources. “Leaving like this really means I’m causing you a lot of trouble, and I feel truly sorry about that,” Abe told a hastily arranged news conference, his eyes red with tears. The former star catcher, who is among baseball-obsessed Japan’s most recognized sports figures,
VICTORY ABROAD: The team took home a fistful of medals and secured spots for the autumn’s Asian Games, scheduled for September in Nagoya Taiwan’s women’s team captured the overall title at the Asian Taekwondo Championships in Mongolia on Sunday, finishing with two golds, one silver and one bronze medal. The strong showing, led by gold medalists Wang Chieh-ling and Chang Jui-en secured the full quota of available spots for Taiwan at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, in September. Wang opened Taiwan’s medal run by winning gold in the women’s under-46kg class on Thursday, the first day of competition. Liu Yu-yun later earned a silver in the under-49kg class. On the final day on Sunday, Chang won Taiwan’s second gold medal in the under-62kg event, and
RSS