Michael Schumacher seemed relaxed. Even a test day that doesn't go as planned cannot harm a driver like him with 249 GP starts under his belt. 'We had originally planned an endurance run today, but because of the many red flags and a technical problem we couldn't finish it. We therefore concentrated on the coordination work later.' A problem with the oil cooler kept the M ercedes GP W01 in the garage for an hour.
Things are not going as planned at Mercedes yet
Until now, the record winner has mostly been driving a heavy car. That explains his lap times. 'The car is easy to drive with a lot of fuel on board,' confirms the 41-year-old returnees. Nevertheless, Schumacher senses that there is more to it. When asked whether he was satisfied, he replied: 'That still has to be shown. We are working hard. At the moment things are not going as we would have liked.'
Then he repeated his assessment from the first test in Valencia: 'I don't think we'll win the first races straight away. Our goal is not to be too far from the best in Bahrain. But the season is long. There is no reason why we shouldn't fight for the championship. '
Fast laps only on Sunday
Somehow a man depends on him Experience in the air: 'I could now say that Ferrari is fast, but I don't know if it is actually that way. It is very difficult to interpret the differences in the lap times, especially here in Barcelona. It may well be that someone who seems slow is actually very fast. '
The Mercedes driver was surprised by the best time of his young German colleague Nico Hülkenberg:' I know that Nico is very fast is, but that he'll get there straight away. Hats off! ' He has not yet tried to qualify himself. When asked whether it wasn't about time towards the end of the test phase, Schumacher laughs: 'There's still one day left.' That means: On Sunday the ex-champion will reveal the cards.
No thoughts about age
Time has changed since the time when he still drove for Ferrari, the superstar looks back on the past. The 15 test days of2010 are nothing compared to the unlimited testing from five years ago. 'In 2005 we covered Ferrari 95,000 kilometers unwound in the year, and it still didn't help. Testing is no guarantee that you will be faster. We have to work much more efficiently today than we did back then, but this is also easier because the infrastructure has improved. Many things can be done with simulations or do test bench work at home. '
Schumacher sees the hype surrounding himself calmly: 'It's just that an old boy has come back. I don't worry about age. I don't look at my passport all the time. I'm coming back because of the challenge and because I enjoy driving. This feeling cannot really be explained. It's like skydiving. You can't explain this kick to anyone. If you want to feel it, you have to do it yourself. '