Ralf's win came at the perfect time, says Weber

Willi Weber, who also manages Ralf's older brother Michael, said that the junior Schumacher's win in last Sunday's San Marino Grand Prix will make him more confident as a driver.

Montoya was the star of the Brazilian GP, passing Michael Schumacher's Ferrari and leading the race until he was punted off by Arrows driver Jos Verstappen. But Ralf struck back with a lights-to-flag victory in Imola.

"I think that, yes, he needed this," said Weber. "The press always makes something out of it when someone leads a few laps - they always put them up there, and this was not good to read [after the Brazil GP]. Ralf had the possibility to win that race and this result will be good for him. He's much more confident inside the team.

"It will not make him a better driver, because he's a very good driver," he added. "But it will help his confidence. When you win a race it's a big moment."

Weber compared the feeling from Ralf's first victory to that from his his older brother's and admitted that Michael's perhaps had the edge.

"It seems a long time ago when Michael had his first win [Belgium 1992], but it was the same great feeling for me," he said. "Maybe it was more, because Formula 1 was so new to us. Ralf could have won at Spa for Jordan in 1998, but he wasn't allowed to win. Now he's a very, very happy man.

"I've got two drivers and I've had to wait for this victory for my second driver. Because of Michael you expect to win the whole time, so it's something very different."

Triple world champion Niki Lauda backed up Weber's opinion that Ralf would be a more confident driver now, saying: "The first Grand Prix victory is always the most difficult one. The next ones will come easier. This will help his confidence."