Michael isn’t a Championship Contender – Ralf

By Nick Sparkes
February 25 2006

Ralf Schumacher has begun his off track rivalry with his brother Michael, by telling F1racing.net that Michael has “no chance” of regaining his title which he lost last year. This comes after Toyota joined Ferrari’s tyre supplier Bridgestone, which has brought the two teams closer together.

Ralf hasn’t completely ruled out the chance of his brother taking a record eight world championships, but feels it won’t be a walk in the park like a couple of his pervious.

"Realistically, I don't think that we can talk about chances here," Ralf told F1Racing.net. "I expect that he will have fun this year, though. I'd just rule it out, since we're working more closely together now as Bridgestone teams. I can't see the potential there (at Ferrari). But of course, I'd be happy for him obviously."

Time will tell if Michael and the new Ferrari are up for the fight, although Ferrari still has a number of reliability issues which could hinder the start of Michael’s 2006 campaign.