Schumi: 'i Thought We'd Be Slower'

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Schumi: 'I thought we'd be slower'

Michael Schumacher insists Ferrari should take heart from their performance in the Australian Grand Prix, claiming he expected the World Champions to be much slower.

Ferrari have decided to start the season with a modified version of their 2004 car and struggled to match the pace of Renault all weekend at Albert Park.

Seven-time world champion Schumacher, who retired in Australia after crashing with Nick Heidfeld, conceded he was not surprised to see Ferrari outdone and he is taking encouragement from Rubens Barrichello's second place.

He said: "Everybody knew that Renault were very good. It was clear after the winter tests and so I wasn't surprised at all."

"But to be completely honest, I thought we would have been much further back."

"The fact that Rubens, from 11th, ended in second, is the proof that last year's model is still very competitive. This gives me a good feeling for the next few races. I thought we would have been less competitive."

"We have to take into account that the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne is not really a track on which you can judge the relative strengths of the different teams."

"We have always done well here. It is possible that things will be completely different at Kuala Lumpar and so I am a little cautious in forming an opinion."