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Ralf Schumacher was much better than we thought

It is undeniable that Ralf Schumacher made his career in the shadow of his brother Michael, six years older. When the young German made his Formula 1 debut with Jordan in 1997, his eldest was already a double world champion and was to win five more titles thereafter. Has Ralf’s record, many dream of – six pole positions, six wins and 27 podiums in 180 starts – been understated? According to his former teammate Juan Pablo Montoya, his peak speed was in any case dazzling.

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“He was very, very, very, very good – much better than people thought. He was so fast! And he was fast everywhere”, Montoya points out in the Beyond The Grid podcast. “I remember my first attempts [en tant que titulaire] in Jerez, I had trouble keeping up with Ralf. It was hard. I remember he was really, really fast, and every time I got closer, he set the bar higher, over and over. I was like, oh my god! I was very far away. “

And when Montoya is asked to compare Schumacher to his other teammate, Kimi Raikkonen, whom he rubbed shoulders with McLaren, the Colombian reveals the strengths and weaknesses of the two men: “Kimi was better at racing. Her pace was really good. Both were really fast. Kimi was partying so often at the time, he was out of control … The problem with Ralf is that at his best day, when he was really fast, if we could beat him – even a thousandth of a second – it was won … He began to doubt everything he did and eventually collapsed. “

Juan Pablo Montoya versus Ralf Schumacher at Williams

Pilot Pole positions Victories Best tours Podiums Points
Juan Pablo Montoya 11 4 11 22 195
Germany Ralf Schumacher 5 6 6 21 173

Click on the arrows to move from one photo to another

Juan Pablo Montoya et Ralf Schumacher

Juan Pablo Montoya et Ralf Schumacher

1/20

Photo of: BMW AG

Podium: the winner Ralf Schumacher with Juan Pablo Montoya and Michael Schumacher

Podium: the winner Ralf Schumacher with Juan Pablo Montoya and Michael Schumacher

2/20

Photo de: Ferrari Media Center

Podium: winner Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, second Ralf Schumacher, BMW Williams, third Juan Pablo Montoya, BMW Williams

Podium: winner Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, second Ralf Schumacher, BMW Williams, third Juan Pablo Montoya, BMW Williams

3/20

Photo de: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

First corner: Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher

First corner: Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher

4/20

Photo of: BMW AG

Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher with the new WilliamsF1 BMW FW26

Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher with the new WilliamsF1 BMW FW26

5/20

Photo of: BMW AG

Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya, with the new WilliamsF1 BMW FW26

Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya, with the new WilliamsF1 BMW FW26

6/20

Photo of: BMW AG

Ralf Schumacher in front of Juan Pablo Montoya

Ralf Schumacher in front of Juan Pablo Montoya

7/20

Photo of: BMW AG

Podium: the winner Ralf Schumacher, Juan Pablo Montoya and Rubens Barrichello

Podium: the winner Ralf Schumacher, Juan Pablo Montoya and Rubens Barrichello

8/20

Photo of: BMW AG

Departure: Ralf Schumacher cuts the chicane in front of Juan Pablo Montoya

Departure: Ralf Schumacher cuts the chicane in front of Juan Pablo Montoya

9/20

Photo by: Brousseau Photo

Press conference: the winner Ralf Schumacher with Juan Pablo Montoya and Michael Schumacher

Press conference: the winner Ralf Schumacher with Juan Pablo Montoya and Michael Schumacher

10/20

Photo by: Brousseau Photo

The start: Juan Pablo Montoya in front of Ralf Schumacher

The start: Juan Pablo Montoya in front of Ralf Schumacher

11/20

Photo of: BMW AG

Podium: champagne for the winner Ralf Schumacher, Juan Pablo Montoya and Michael Schumacher

Podium: champagne for the winner Ralf Schumacher, Juan Pablo Montoya and Michael Schumacher

12/20

Photo by: Brousseau Photo

First corner: Ralf Schumacher, Juan Pablo Montoya and the peloton

First corner: Ralf Schumacher, Juan Pablo Montoya and the peloton

13/20

Photo of: BMW AG

The start: Ralf Schumacher in front of Juan Pablo Montoya

The start: Ralf Schumacher in front of Juan Pablo Montoya

14/20

Photo of: BMW AG

Ralf Schumacher et Juan Pablo Montoya

Ralf Schumacher et Juan Pablo Montoya

15/20

Photo of: BMW AG

Juan Pablo Montoya et Ralf Schumacher

Juan Pablo Montoya et Ralf Schumacher

16/20

Photo of: BMW AG

Ralf Schumacher, Marc Gené, Juan Pablo Montoya

Ralf Schumacher, Marc Gené, Juan Pablo Montoya

17/20

Photo of: BMW AG

Juan Pablo Montoya et Ralf Schumacher

Juan Pablo Montoya et Ralf Schumacher

18/20

Photo of: BMW AG

Press conference: Juan Pablo Montoya, Michael Schumacher and Ralf Schumacher

Press conference: Juan Pablo Montoya, Michael Schumacher and Ralf Schumacher

19/20

Photo of: BMW AG

The podium: the winner Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya

The podium: the winner Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya

20/20

Photo of: BMW AG

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