Ralf Schumacher's former manager says he was 'shocked' by the Toyota driver's performance in the recent Monaco Grand Prix.

The 31-year-old, who is currently the subject of wild speculation concerning his immediate future on the grid, hit a new low in 2007 when in Monte Carlo he was out qualified by a Spyker and then struggled to overtake the orange cars in the race.

But Willi Weber, who negotiated Ralf's expiring $20m per-year Toyota contract before they split, told Bild newspaper: "He finds himself in a downward spiral that continues to get worse."

"Monaco shocked me - that he hung around behind (Christijan) Albers for so long, seeming to not be able to do anything about it. It is not the Ralf that I know."

Schumacher, meanwhile, is personally more confident about Montreal this weekend, after winning the race for Williams in 2001, finishing second to his brother in 2003 and starting from pole in 2004.

"We are working hard on the issues we had in Monaco and I hope we'll see an improvement in Canada," he said this week.