Michael Schumacher believes Ferrari can show their true championship potential at Imola this weekend and slam the brakes on Renault's winning streak.

Seven times champion Michael Schumacher has a better record than anyone at Ferrari's home circuit, with five wins in the last seven San Marino Grands Prix, and intends to improve that on Sunday.

Looking forward to the opening European race of the season after gleaning just 11 points from the first three rounds, the 37-year-old German hopes to fire up his title challenge in front of the fervent local fans.

"I've been in this game much too long now, to let anyone throw me off balance. I've seen the tables suddenly turn so many times," Schumacher said, sounding confident after recent tests.

"The most important thing for us now is that we have the potential to win. Absolutely anything is still possible.

"During our tests, we improved our package and now we believe that we've got a car that can secure a win. We don't think the gap is too big to be closed, and Imola will be our first step towards catching up."

"Our pace is good and so is our whole package. We're back," added Schumacher.

"Our new aerodynamics and also our improvements in the engine are a definite step in the right direction."

Ferrari, troubled by engine problems in the last two races, have some way to go even if they have sorted out their misbehaving pistons.

Excluding last year's hollow six-car US Grand Prix fiasco, the once-dominant team have not had a genuine victory to celebrate since they won 15 of 18 races in 2004.

Schumacher is fourth in the championship, 17 points behind Renault's world champion Fernando Alonso, while the team are 27 adrift of the French manufacturer after three races.

Renault have won the last four races while Alonso has now led the championship for more than a year and, with two wins and a second place, has already racked up more points than at this stage last season.

Imola has happy memories for the 24-year-old Spaniard, whose victory last year saw him emerge as the true heir apparent to Schumacher after holding off the charging Ferrari ace for lap after lap to the chequered flag.

"Ferrari and McLaren will be our main opponents," he reiterated this week.

"Ferrari dropped down in the last two races, but I think they will be back. Their tyres work well at this circuit, and it is their home Grand Prix, so I expect them to be extremely competitive."

Alonso will also have to worry about Italian team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella, armed with a new and updated engine for his home race, as well as Honda's Jenson Button and McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen.

Button, second in 2004 and third last year in Imola before his BAR was disqualified for breaking the fuel and weight rules, also has a new and more powerful engine without penalty after failing to finish in Australia earlier this month.

Securing his first win is all Button has on his mind.

Raikkonen, equal second with Fisichella in the championship, will also fancy his chances after leading from pole position at Imola last year before being sidelined by a driveshaft failure.

Imola Track Info...

¤ Imola, in Ferrari's heartland, hosted its first Formula One event in 1963 when Briton Jim Clark won a non-championship race.

¤ In 1980, it hosted the Italian Grand Prix, but the race was moved back to Monza the following year and Imola has remained on the calendar since then as the San Marino Grand Prix in what is effectively Italy's second race.

¤ In 1988, after his death, the circuit was renamed to include Enzo Ferrari's name as well as that of his late son Dino.

¤ The circuit is, with Interlagos and Turkey, one of three in the championship to run anti-clockwise and was redesigned in 1995 following the deaths the previous year of Brazilian Ayrton Senna and Austrian Roland Ratzenberger.

Last year's race...

Fernando Alonso secured Renault's fourth win in four races after keeping a charging Michael Schumacher at bay in the closing laps.

McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen started from pole and led for the first nine laps before being sidelined by a driveshaft failure. BAR were disqualified for fuel and weight irregularities.