Schumacher's frustrations surface

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BERLIN, Germany -- German driver Ralf Schumacher has revealed deep frustrations with his Toyota car and said on Tuesday there is no sign of the problems being fixed in time for next month's Spanish Grand Prix.

With his contract set to expire at the end of the season -- and no extension talks in sight -- the younger brother of racing legend Michael is feeling the heat and is far from happy with the car's handling.

Since transfering from Williams to Toyota in 2005, the younger Schumacher finished sixth in his first season, but dropped to tenth place last campaign -- a slot he currently fills in 2007 with one point.

With the next Grand Prix scheduled for Barcelona on May 13, Schumacher has less than a month to sort out his issues.

"I am not able to drive the car like I want to, it simply does not fit my driving style," complained Schumacher after a less than satisfactory race in Bahrain last weekend, when he finished 12th.

Matters were not helped when his Toyota team-mate Italian Jarno Trulli finished seventh in Sakhir, to take seventh in the drivers' table, four ahead of Schumacher in eleventh spot, while the German is reported to earn 10 million euros more than his colleague.

Trulli's contract has already been extended until 2009, but Toyota bosses have made no hints that Schumacher will be asked to stay on with his contract set to expire at the end of the season.

Schumacher is staying cool under pressure and his manager Hans Mahr is confident contract extension talks will open this summer.

The car is being modified in time for the next race, but Schumacher remains concerned.

"The problem will not just go away, changes have been made before the next race in Barcelona, but they won't help my situation much," said the 31-year-old with an air of resignation in his eleventh year of Formula One which could be his last.

"This is certainly no happy situation. Not only for Ralf, but for the whole team," says BMW-motor sport manager Mario Theissen, his former employer.

Schumacher has managed only three top-three finishes in the last two years.

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