MICHAEL SCHUMACHER sat in the Ferrari motor home at Estoril yesterday and beamed with delight as he recounted an early verdict on his driving ability. "I remember well when somebody who gave me the opportunity to test a Formula Ford car," he laughed, "and he said `the guy is very quick in karting, but he will never be quick in a Formula car, because the driving style is so different'. I think he was a little bit wrong there."
Just a little, perhaps. The 27 year old German driver's £35 million Ferrari contract for 1996 and 97 could be on course to cement his position as one of the world's wealthiest sportsmen. He has a boyish outward manner which conceals the sort of steely resolve and commitment which used to be associated with the late Ayrton Senna.
Yet if Michael Schumacher lacks Senna's ascetic visage, projecting instead freshly scrubbed and more obvious outward enthusiasm, he has successfully laid claim to the Brazilian driver's crown at the very pinnacle of his chosen sport. Quite an achievement for a lad from modest surroundings who, little more than 10 years ago was scrambling round a little go kart circuit in the German town of Kerpen where his mother ran the hamburger stand.
For Ferrari, Schumacher's arrival is akin to that of a grand prix Messiah. After years of struggling, the famous Maranello team believes that this is the man who can take them to the Promised Land. Three wins so far in his first season suggests that judgment could be correct.
Schumacher agrees that he has managed to bring a calming influence to the traditionally volatile Ferrari environment. "I think I have been able to give consistency," he said. "In all teams, a driver has a certain responsibility to steer the team a little bit. Even if it is not too much, or too obvious, you can make the team nervous or keep it calm. I think in that respect I did the job in that I didn't become nervous at the time when it was difficult, when the other drivers would have become nervous and then, rather than improve, get even worse.
"The Ferrari organisation has improved a lot. You see the situation now with Benetton where, in getting new drivers, it takes a certain time until everything adapts. I think those times are over for us at Ferrari, but there are still certain things that need to be done before we are at the level of top teams like Williams and Benetton."
So does Schumacher believe that Ferrari can return to a championship winning position? "Yes," he says firmly. "I am very optimistic that we are able to do this (win a championship) and that's what I'm pushing and working very hard for. That's why I am considering 1998, because I see what we have been able to do up to now. I think I can forsee what happens in 1997, but the real potential, I think, comes in 1998.
Schumacher assumes an almost self effacing modesty when it comes to discussing his three Ferrari victories. He is proud of his wet weather domination of the Spanish GP, and clearly relishes his win on the team's home soil at Monza. But his win in the Belgian GP at Spa, where his Ferrari developed unexpected play in its steering, was clearly something extra special.
Tackling the 160 mph swerves through the Belgian pine forests when you are not totally certain whether the front wheels will respond correctly when you turn the steering wheel is, concedes Schumacher, not something you want to do on a regular basis.
"I mean, if you go testing and you have certain miles on the steering system, it can develop play," he explained with a degree of analytical amusement. "But there it came suddenly, while I was riding very hard over the kerbs. Certainly if you sit in the car, and you don't know what's going on, I took a couple of laps easier until I got confirmation from the team that the parts would be strong enough. But if you start to lose your trust in the team, then I think you have lost anyway.
"I have had bad experiences when I lost my steering with Benetton in Brazil last year. But I never lost my confidence in the team. Probably that is because I am still young. Maybe in 10 years time I would have come into the pits under similar circumstances."
Inevitably, the comparison between Schumacher and his old rival Damon Hill is a debating topic which always lurks just below the surface of any Formula One conversation. Schumacher believes he has simply loaned Hill the title, assuming he wins it. But does he share the widely held view that Hill has raised his game to a new level in 1996?
Schumacher grins confidently. "Obviously there have been a lot of stories that Damon has been a different person from the beginning of the season, and so on," he replies. "For me that is not the case; Damon is Damon. I know you can improve yourself slightly, to become more intelligent in certain areas, know how to handle certain things. But to change completely? I don't see it.
"Nobody has done this, in my view, ever. Not I, not anybody else, not Damon, and this has become obvious I believe through the season. Nevertheless I think he has done a good job. There is definitely a certain pressure from having the best car. Everyone expects you to win. You only can lose anyway. If you win, it's normal. If you don't, you're the loser. So therefore, as I have said, it should be quite interesting for him to go elsewhere next year in order to prove what is his real position.
"It was the same with me being in Benetton for four and a half years, a lot of people spoke about my talent, but obviously they were more confident about myself after I drove for a different team (Ferrari) and they could see what I was really doing."
The message may be couched in scrupulously polite terms, but the sub text is obvious. Michael Schumacher does not regard Damon Hill as a front line threat.
Mischieviously, perhaps, he predicts that Heinz Harald Frentzen, the man who will take Hill's place at Williams, is the man to beat for the 1997 world championship.
Should Ferrari provide him with another middling car next season, this could be a real worry for Michael Schumacher. No one doubts that he is the best driver in the world. But will he be the best German?
