Pitstop: Languishing Schumacher says giving up is not an option

LONDON - Ferrari's Michael Schumacher is looking forward to the Monaco Grand Prix as much as ever, even if others have already written off the Formula One champion's chances .

"I always enjoy coming here. It's just a lot of fun to wind your way through the streets," the German said on his website.

"Even though it will be difficult for us this time, because the position on the starting grid at Monaco is somewhat decisive for the outcome of the race, that does not diminish my excitement.

"We are looking forward to taking on this challenge. Giving up is not an option, but giving up before you try is completely out of the question.

"This is sports and in sports anything is possible."

Schumacher has not won a race since the penultimate round of last season in Japan, the longest drought he has suffered since joining Ferrari in 1996.

Ferrari, constructors' champions for the past six years, won 15 of the 18 races last season but have gone without a victory for six races now.

Renault, winners in Monaco last year, have won four out of five races with Spain's Fernando Alonso leading the championship with three wins.

Austrian Niki Lauda said that Schumacher's title hopes were over, with Alonso on 44 points and the German just 10.

The 36-year-old has retired three times in five races this year and his failure to finish the last round in Spain means he must run early in Sunday's first qualifying when track conditions are unfavourable.

"The rules call for that and we will naturally try to make the best of it," said Schumacher.

"We may be going through somewhat of a weak phase right now but that's the way it is in sports - there are always ups and downs.

"We were doing extremely well for an unusually long period of time and now we're having to struggle a little bit. But we know what the reasons for that are and that's the most important thing," said Schumacher.

He has won five times in Monaco but not since 2001, retiring last year after a bizarre collision with Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya's Williams in the tunnel while following the safety car.

Paperwork fumbled

Toyota will not be punished for an administrative error that led to the team competing without all the correct paperwork.

"There won't be any penalties for Toyota, even though until the Spanish Grand Prix they raced without the licences required," said International Automobile Federation president Max Mosley.

The FIA said last week that they were investigating Toyota after the team failed to renew their national competition licence until after last month's San Marino Grand Prix. The team did, however, have a valid superlicence, issued by the FIA.

The error emerged when the team sought to appeal against a 25-second penalty imposed on Germany's Ralf Schumacher at Imola and discovered that they could not do so because they lacked a national licence.

The error raised fears that Toyota, second in the championship after five races, could be stripped of some points.

FIA sources said the matter was likely to be referred to the next World Motor Sport Council meeting next month, but would be treated as an administrative oversight.

Booth is back

Defending joint race winner and recently re-crowned New Zealand V8 Touring Car champion Andy Booth is one of a number of high-profile drivers who will compete at the six-hour endurance race at Pukekohe's Pukekohe Park Raceway on May 28.

Booth, who last year shared the winning Holden Commodore V8 with Orix New Zealand V8 Touring Car team-mate Paul Manuell, will this year share a potent Nissan Skyline turbo with event sponsor Harry Dodson and Australian driver Johnny Borland.

Dodson, Borland and Jody Vincent finished just 6.8s behind Booth and Manuell last year, so with Dodson and Borland, Booth stands just as good a chance of winning again this year.

- REUTERS, NZPA