Ralf wants repeat success

Schumacher used BMW's horsepower advantage to drive away from the field in last year's race, and with the Munich V10 still the class of the field in the pure grunt department, he's confident of further success.

"The San Marino track suits me, with lots of fast parts," he said, "and of course last season I achieved my first victory there, so there is no reason why we shouldn't be very competitive again."

A win for the Williams driver would narrow the gap to his brother at the head of the championship standings and he knows that Ferrari will provide his main opposition.

"Ferrari showed at Interlagos that their new car is quicker than the old one, so we must do our best and work hard for the team to be successful in Imola."

Back-to-back wins at Imola are quite common. Ayrton Senna was the first driver to accomplish the feat in 1988-'89. Damon Hill did the double in '95 and '96, while Ralf's brother Michael delighted the Ferrari fans with successive wins in 1999 and 2000.