F1: Montoya not the Juan I fear - Schumacher

World champion Michael Schumacher stoked his increasingly bitter rivalry with Juan Pablo Montoya today by telling the Colombian he would not be a title threat this year.

The German insisted it would be another few years before Montoya could consider himself a championship contender given his Formula One career is just 20 races old.

And Schumacher added that he believed his younger brother Ralf - the Williams-BMW team-mate of the South American - was the biggest obstacle to his hopes of a record-equalling fifth drivers’ crown.

‘‘There is a little bit more to being the new man than just to have two or three good manoeuvres,’’ said Schumacher, who has clashed with Montoya on the first lap for the past two races.

‘‘I don’t want to discredit his abilities, they are very high. But I believe there are other drivers around who have made a far bigger impression.

‘‘Montoya can be a very good driver, he can win world championships. But we won’t know for two or three years.’’

Montoya’s form in the latter part of his rookie season, when he overshadowed his team-mate, earmarked him as Schumacher’s main rival for this year.

The former Champ Car champion is still waiting for his first victory of the season having seen the Schumacher brothers dominate the top place on the podium in the opening three races.

Montoya has not been helped by his first-lap shunts with Schumacher in Malaysia and at the last race in Brazil when he verbally hit out at his rival’s track tactics, vowing the gloves were off in their title battle.

But the 26-year-old has also found himself under attack from Schumacher junior who claimed his team-mate’s attempt to overtake his brother’s Ferrari in Sao Paulo was ‘brainless’.

Montoya lost his front wing in the collision and had to settle for fifth as the reigning champion saw off the other Williams to claim his 55th career victory.

‘‘I’d rather take home six world championship points for a second place than mount a brainless attack that couldn’t work and lose a front wing,’’ he said.

‘‘When it’s worth it, I can be a daredevil too. Sometimes it’s smarter to take what is certain and not risk everything with one gamble.’’

Schumacher senior’s victory left him eight points clear of his younger brother, with Montoya two points further back going into Sunday’s San Marino Grand Prix.

The 33-year-old said ahead of the fourth round of the 17-race season, and the first European grand prix of the campaign, that it was his younger brother he feared the most.

‘‘If I say Ralf’s my main challenger, everyone will say it’s because he’s my brother. But if I say he’s not, I would lie,’’ said Schumacher, in today’s Motorsport News.

‘‘People have often criticised him, even after he won in Malaysia. But that’s not to look deeply at the situation. He certainly has the ability, he has proved it very often, and he’s proving it again.’’

Ralf, who scored the maiden victory of his career in Imola last year, capitalised on the first-corner shunt between his brother and Montoya to win in Malaysia, while Michael has won the two other races.