Ralf Not Ruling Out Ferrari Win Despite Old Car

Williams driver Ralf Schumacher believes it is too early to tell if Ferrari have made a mistake by deciding to run with last year's car in Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

"We should be very close to the top teams. We are one of the top teams," Schumacher told a news conference in Melbourne. "We should be close to the top two and we will find out how the Ferrari is," added the German, who was fourth in last year's World Championship won by his brother Michael in a Ferrari.

"Since they (Ferrari) are there with the old car, it might make our life a little bit easier. Last year they were very, very quick with the old car, we'll see. It's all so open, you can't really tell. We'll have to wait for the qualifying. That's really the first time we realise where we are."

Michael is also defending champion at the Australian Grand Prix. Ralf's Williams teammate, Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, was critical of Ferrari's move on Tuesday. Montoya said it was a positive for Williams and a negative for Ferrari pair Michael Schumacher and Brazilian Rubens Barrichello.

No Tension

Team chief Frank Williams told reporters in London last week that his two drivers "may never be great friends" but were working well together. Ralf, 26, won three races last year while Montoya, also 26, broke through with a maiden victory at Monza in September and was sixth in the Championship.

"I'm as much pushed by him than he is by me as well. I think it's the perfect combination. We get on well, against all the rumours we have in the press," Ralf said. "I must say, it's a perfect working relationship. It's not that we spend a lot of time privately together.

"He is interested in different things than I am, I guess. I think, for a team, it's always very good to have two drivers like that because you can always count on one if the other one has a bad weekend."

The short-sighted German said he was still to decide if he would wear contact lenses or specially-designed bullet-proof glasses in Sunday's race. Spectacles have previously been thought too difficult to fit under a heavily padded helmet, as well as being dangerous if they shattered.

Ralf also said he was enjoying fatherhood after his wife Cora gave birth to baby David in October last year. He said being a parent was great and did not change his outlook on racing.