Ralf not in awe of Michael

"I am not trying to suggest Ralf is as remarkable as his brother," he said. "Michael is a man who appears never to switch off Formula 1. What I am saying is that I don't believe Ralf is overawed by his brother. He respects and admires Michael, as we all do, but if he is in a position to prevent Michael's record sixth title by winning it himself, he will do so without a second's thought."

The remarkable development of the 2003 Williams package has given a much-needed fillip to the whole team and Williams recognises the particular effect that this has had on his drivers.

"There's no denying that Ralf has been guilty of occasional inconsistency, but he is capable of enormous speed. He is becoming very experienced and has a good understanding of the car. He has made mistakes but he's a talented driver and is competing with the self-confidence that a couple of straight wins generate."

"He is also responding to the challenge of having an extremely competitive team-mate. They are drawing the best from each other which is exactly what we hoped for."

According to Sir Frank, this weekend will be an acid test of world championship potential for the team, but it is likely to be a tough one.

"The last four races have been very good for the company but they have occurred on relatively straightforward, low downforce-requirement circuits. The tough circuits are Barcelona, Silverstone, Melbourne and Suzuka.

"If we win fair and square (at Silverstone) it means our car is in as good a shape as anybody's."