Irvine: Only Schumacher is Better than Me

Eddie Irvine believes he is better than all the current Formula One drivers except his former Ferrari teammate and triple World Champion Michael Schumacher.

"I think as an overall package that I'm better than all of them except Michael," Irvine told Autosport. "Anyone who says that they are equal to Michael is either a liar or naive. We all want to be in that position, but no-one can stand up and say it. The guy as a driver is second to none.

"Last year I destroyed my teammate [Johnny Herbert] who'd been quicker than Hakkinen. Everyone thought Johnny was going to see me off but he wasn’t even close. He properly outqualified me twice. I’m doing a similar job this year."

The outspoken Irishman, who has scored four points so far in his second season with the Jaguar team, also lamented he did not move to the McLaren team when he left Ferrari at the end of the 1999 season.

At the Woking-based team, Irvine believes, he could have done a better job than two-time champion Mika Hakkinen or teammate David Coulthard.

"It's a shame," Irvine added. "I really would have liked to have gone there against Mika and if that had happened then the myth that Mika is on the same planet as Michael would have died.

"I would have brought a lot more to the team than Ron's two current drivers. Because what I learnt at Ferrari was so comprehensive."

Irvine was Schumacher's teammate at Ferrari from 1996 to 1999, finishing runner-up to Hakkinen in his last season with the Italian outfit.