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
Ralf Schumacher
5
6
6
21
173
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