Top dogs hope JPM isn’t too quick…

The Colombian BMW-Williams driver has been touted endlessly as the man to displace the leading duo. But on the eve of Montoya's official F1 debut in Melbourne, Schumacher jokingly expressed fear about the ice-cool Colombian's potential speed.

"He must have talent, otherwise they wouldn't have signed him up," he said. "The rest we will find out. I hope he is not too fast."

Schumacher's arch-rival in recent years, Mika Hakkinen, predicts a roller-coaster ride for Montoya.

"It is definitely going to be an exciting time for him," Hakkinen said. "I'm sure it is going to be a good experience for him because they (Williams) are going to run on Michelins. There could be occasions when they can perform well and occasions when they probably are not so good. But I hope he is not too fast and I hope he enjoys F1."

Hakkinen admits that before his F1 debut with Lotus in 1991, he expected to beat everyone.

"I remember I was so confident," he said. "I was sure I was going to win the race. That's what went through my mind. But it didn't quite happen like that."

Schumacher recalls that he had more modest hopes for his first F1 race at Spa-Francorchamps in 1991, even though he stunned the establishment by qualifying seventh in a Jordan-Ford.

"I was not so confident, honestly," he said. "I mean, I didn't have much experience of F1.

"All I was thinking was that if I could be somewhere in midfield, I would be fine. I found myself [on the fourth row of the grid], so it was a pleasant experience."

Schumacher's dream debut ended on the first lap when his car's clutch expired at the start.