Former world champ says real potential hasn't yet emerged (ANSA) - Campagnano, April 6 - Ferrari ace Michael Schumacher said on Thursday that the Formula 1 world had yet to see the real potential of the car he is racing this season .

So far the German's results have not been dazzling. In the first race he was second, in the next he slipped to sixth and, last weekend, he crashed out halfway through .

"The car is fast, but we haven't been able to demonstrate this yet," Schumacher said on the sidelines of intense testing at the Vallelunga circuit outside Rome .

The next grand prix is on 'home' ground, at Imola on April 23. Ferrari chief Luca Cordero di Montezemolo has said the team "must" win it in order to overcome the troubled start to the season .


"I repeat: the car is fast. We have to make sure we use this power well," Schumacher said .

Last year the Ferrari cars were visibly slower than the Renaults and McLarens of their rivals, making it clear from the start that they would struggle. In the end Schumacher finished third in the driver's standings .

Hopes were high at the start of the season that Ferrari would soon be back at the top of the Formula 1 tree after a poor 2005 season. Schumacher himself pronounced the new V8 car one of the best Ferrari's ever .

But after last Sunday's disaster, when both cars retired, the hopes of the racing team's fans are fading fast .

"It's hard to make promises, but I really think we're going to improve at Imola," said the seven-times world champ .

Schumacher, who is 37, has said he will decide whether to retire from Formula 1 racing by the midpoint in the season, depending on how will he and Ferrari are doing .