Coulthard turns up heat in practice as Schumacher nears title

Perhaps it is the routine nature of events this week, but Michael Schumacher demonstrates scant sign of anxiety, tension or even concern.

On the verge of a fifth world championship success, when others might have wrapped themselves in cotton wool, Schumacher played for a German media team in a seven-a-side football tournament here.

True to form, Schumacher and his men won the five-team round robin and, when it was over, he jogged away, doubtless to push himself through a more rigorous training session.

The competition has been little stronger for the champion on the circuit this season. He will confirm his latest title in record time if he wins tomorrow's French Grand Prix and neither of his closest challengers, Rubens Barrichello or Juan Pablo Montoya, finishes second.

Schumacher and his Ferrari team-mate, Barrichello, were outpaced in practice yesterday by the McLaren-Mercedes pair, David Coulthard and Kimi Raikkonen, but even the Anglo-German camp expect the normal order to be restored tomorrow afternoon.

Coulthard, who ranks his victory here two years ago, when he overtook Schumacher, as his best, contends he will need a miracle of biblical proportions to repeat the feat. "If I pull off a win like that, then I will announce myself as the next Messiah,'' the Scotsman said.

The familiar heat in these parts ought to suit the McLaren's Michelin tyres far better than the wet conditions of Silverstone a fortnight ago. Again, however, Coulthard sees no cause for optimism.

He said: "We have had to compromise with Williams on the tyres, while Ferrari and Bridgestone have got such a strong thing going that I'd be surprised if they slipped up. Ferrari are still a step ahead.''

Williams-BMW have regularly raised their game from the unspectacular on a Friday to prominence on the Saturday, and Montoya has taken pole position at the last four grands prix. Yesterday, the Colombian was down in 10th place after a spin into the gravel and his partner, Ralf Schumacher, fifth.

"At present I am struggling with the balance of my car everywhere on the track," Montoya said. "Due to the quite slippery nature of this circuit, I spun.''

Michael Schumacher, too, had a spin on an otherwise business-like day for Ferrari. The team introduced a new aerodynamic package and Ross Brawn, the technical director, expressed his satisfaction with the modification. Schumacher, who maintains he does not expect to wrap up the championship here, said: "As normal at this circuit when it gets hot, the surface becomes more slippery and you end up sliding around a lot. The other tyre company seem to be showing strongly here, but we have often been in this situation at the start of a weekend, only to find it changes in the race.

"We planned to do a long run to see what the tyre performance was like. I think it will be close between us and our main competition in qualifying, but I believe we are in with a chance of fighting for pole position.''

Eddie Irvine took his Jaguar to the heady heights of sixth place, making the most of the redesigned car and his Michelins. "The R3 feels much better around here than it did at Silverstone and our test at Monza has helped us,'' he said.

Jenson Button was ninth in a Renault and Allan McNish 11th for Toyota. Renault are expected to announce that the Spaniard, Fernando Alonso, is to replace Button next season, while the Englishman is being linked with several teams, notably Sauber, Toyota and BAR-Honda. Alexander Wurz, McLaren's Austrian test driver, has followed a similar trail.

Whether Arrows will be employing drivers next year remains in doubt, although Tom Walkinshaw, the team principal, remains confident he can resolve their financial problems.

Walkinshaw kept his cars in the pits yesterday, saving an estimated £300,000, but promised they would run today. He explained that prospective new investors and his current backers, Morgan Grenfell, were in negotiations with a third party. Payments to Cosworth, their engine suppliers, are up to date.