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Schumacher reunited with lost lucky charm

Alan Baldwin | July 23, 2004 10:49 IST

Ferrari's Michael Schumacher can look forward to another winning weekend after being reunited with a lucky charm he lost 10 days ago at Silverstone.

"It's a lucky piece from my wife and it's obviously quite meaningful to me because it has all the initials of the family on there," the six times Formula One champion said before his home German Grand Prix.

"It is not highly valuable but it has a personal meaning to me and I was lucky that a good guy found it and actually returned it to me today," added the father of two.

Schumacher, who could seal Ferrari's sixth constructors' title in a row on Sunday with his own record-equalling 11th win in 12 races, said the blue and gold amulet had been found in the paddock at Silverstone.

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"It was apparently somewhere close to our motor homes where I was running. A little clip came undone somehow and that's why it came off," he said.

"It's lucky I got it back. It's now in my pocket."

The ceramic talisman, which Schumacher wears around his neck at every race, caused a commotion once before this season when the German left it in his hotel before the Bahrain Grand Prix.

That time a team member had to rush to bring it to him before the start of the first race in the Middle East, which he won. Schumacher later said the amulet had made "perhaps the decisive difference".

HOCKENHEIM HOPE

Schumacher has won just twice before at Hockenheim, making it the circuit on the current calendar where he has had least success.

He also arrived on Thursday suffering from a light dose of influenza, although he assured reporters he would be 100 percent fit for Sunday.

The German remained hopeful of clinching the constructors' title, with Ferrari needing to score 13 points more than second-placed Renault.

"We would rather do it here, obviously," he said.

"It would be a nice present for our fans and supporters to do it here and it could mean that we could have a nice celebration afterwards."

"My results don't look too great for whatever reason but coming here I always feel good," he added.

"And I just hope that, as I didn't finish as well in England in previous years and I seemed to turn that around, I will be able to do the same here."

Schumacher won this year's British Grand Prix after only two previous victories there.

Despite his success this season, the German said he felt Ferrari's rivals were raising their game.

"We live from the fact that we almost always get 100 percent out of our package," he said. "To win as many races as we have done in this season shouldn't have happened, honestly, but we are glad it has happened and we hope we can continue."


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