Folks, here goes my first post. A story I have written after my interview with Michael Schumacher on March 14, 2002 at Sepang, Malaysia. I don't remember what `Headline' my colleagues at Express gave, but I remember it was carried as Page 1 lead on the top.

Here it goes....hope it brings back memories as Schumy went on to win the fifth world title and won the next two years too.

Sepang, March 14: Schumacher. There is magic in his name. You don't need to be a fan of F1 or even know what F1 is all about to recognise the name Michael Schumacher or its many variants like Schumi, Schuey etc.

On Thursday morning, this corresspondent went prepared with a dozen questions for the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro press conference near the Sepang circuit. Most of questions were prompted by a colleague and F1 fan back home. But when he encountered the `MAN' in flesh and blood, he just sat there numb, gaping in admiration with a wide-open mouth at the charming face. Oh, what a sight it was! Cool, calm and composed; Lazy elegance; Arrogance personified which will appear like modesty if you are a novice... Yet there is an aura of invincibility. A mischievous smile. A sight to behold. Wow! what a champion material!!

With all this, a few minutes of one-to-one interview as arranged by the press officer vanished in thin air. And before one can realize Schumi moved on and all one did was ask for an autograph....and when he really signed it was like attaining ``nirvana''.

Schumi has built his name to mean a great deal of things depending on which side of the fence you sit. Precision under pressure is something the name Schumacher has come to be known for.

To a question on how a man like him continued to motivate himself race after race, win after win...after his many moments of triumph over the past few years, a smiling Schumacher answered: ``It is very easy when you love the sport. I love having four wheels around me, I love competing, it is as simple as that.'' That's the champion's answer for the driving force behind his success.

Many consider McLaren and Williams as Ferrari's biggest dangermen. But fans are expecting trouble from one man and that is Juan Pablo Montoya. ``I love to fight to win. If the race against Montoya is exciting, I am sure I will enjoy it,'' was all that Schumi said. As always, one can expect Schumi and Ferrari to bulldoze over the opposition but it won't be another easy year, unless everybody botches things up like last year.

More was to come at the press meet. Michael Schumacher began by looking back at his win in the Australian GP a fortnight ago. ``I don't think qualifying was a true reflection of what we can expect, given the unusual conditions,'' he said. ``But in the race, we had the upper hand, because we were the most consistent, even if Raikkonen set the fastest lap. This consistency was mainly down to the Bridgestone tyres.''

The four-time champion, however, admitted he was unsure what the situation would be here. ``It will be a different story here,'' he claimed. ``But the idea that Bridgestone will suffer in the hot conditions is not correct. It is true that at the beginning of last year, our tyres did seem to have a disadvantage in hot conditions, but from the race in Magny-Cours onwards, Bridgestone made a big step forward and has continued to improve since then.''

The German would not want to specify when the new car F2002 would be raced. ``Of course, we want to race it as soon as possible, but we also want to be 100 per cent sure about reliability,'' he explained. ``We have an important test with the new car in Barcelona next week and we will make a decision about whether or not to bring the car to Brazil, based on that test and the results.''

The world champion was asked whether his dominance of the sport made it boring. ``Interest in Formula One does not seem to have declined,'' he maintained. ``But to be honest, I don't care. I just want to win. But I don't think I have been over-dominant. Last year there were several winners and even after we won the championships in Hungary, I think in the remaining races, with the exception of Monza (coming after events of 11th September) all were interesting.''

With a dozen years behind him in F1 racing, Schumacher is in favour of F1 going to new
venues, but not on having more races. ``With circuits you know, you tend to have the same routine and do not bother visiting the area,'' he said. ``With new venues it is interesting to discover new countries. As for the calendar, I would like to see a restriction on testing but keeping the number of races the same. Teams need time to prepare for the season and a break after it. The only way to have more races would be to have one each week.''

Coming back to rivalry and the race this weekend, Schumacher expects a three-way fight: ``In the past it has only been Ferrari and McLaren on the podium,'' he recalled. ``But last year, Williams pushed us very hard in qualifying and then suffered because of the rain. If it is a dry race, I expect to see a Williams on the podium.''

On the subject of the weather, Michael did not seem too concerned about the high temperatures and humidity in Sepang. ``There is not much you can do about that, expect ensure you are physically fit,'' he said. ``To be honest, I feel more comfortable in the race car than in an AC room. Sure, you sweat more and it is tiring, but all you can do is try and get more air flowing through the cockpit. Last year for example, going down the main straights, I moved off the racing line to drive in the shade for a while,'' he
revealed.

Come Sunday and he is still the hot favourite. Ferrari is on such a high that it is hard to
imagine it being blown off course in 2002. It is firm favourite for the year's championship and few would bet against it. But Formula One is a sport of cycles and BMW Williams is in the ascendant.

Can lightning strike twice? Or in Schumi's case five times? Only time will tell.

eom\710pm (IST) 2002

Nice. the heading for your article should have been.....


DAVIDS INTERVIEW WITH GOLIATH