Ralf a potential champion says Berger

Ralf Schumacher may be somewhat in the shadow of his five-time champion brother Michael but former BMW motorsport director Gerhard Berger believes Schumacher Junior has the potential to be a title contender. Indeed, Ralf was in the running for the ...

Ralf Schumacher may be somewhat in the shadow of his five-time champion brother Michael but former BMW motorsport director Gerhard Berger believes Schumacher Junior has the potential to be a title contender. Indeed, Ralf was in the running for the 2003 title up until a testing crash forced him to miss the Italian Grand Prix, which left him too far behind in the points.

Ralf Schumacher.

Photo by Brousseau Photo.

"Ralf has proven several times that he has got the potential to win races and even the championship," said Berger. "Now he just has to perform at his best from the start to the finish of a season."

"He has to make use of his full potential at every single race. Should he be able to do so without experiencing a drop of form in the course of the season, he will definitely be a strong championship contender."

Both Ralf and teammate Juan Pablo Montoya are out of the running for the 2003 drivers' title now but there's still the matter of the constructors' championship. Williams is just three points behind Ferrari with one race to decide which team will claim the victory.

"Our goal is now focused on the Constructors' title," said Ralf in the run up to Suzuka. "I am sure we can claw back the three points on Ferrari and the team's test in Jerez makes me confident that we can achieve this."

Ideally Williams needs a one-two finish to claim the constructors' title. A draw with Ferrari would not be enough as the Scuderia has won more races, which would decide the outcome.