Nico Rosberg with a good feeling: & # 34; I see positive faces everywhere & # 34;

M ichael Schumacher's last laps before the lunch break on the first test day of Barcelona give hope. Five times 1.24 laps in a row. That speaks at least for constancy. While the record winner was pedaling 43 laps by halfway through the test day, Nico Rosberg had an almost free day. The only official act: He and Michael Schumacher had to pull the blanket off the new Mercedes that morning.

We drive without any major worries

During the lunch break there was time for a conversation. The body language at Rosberg adapts to the rest of the team. Looseness sets the tone. Nico Rosberg drove the new Silver Arrow on Sunday. A little informative day in terms of lap times, as it was too cold for fast laps on Sunday. The tires were grainy.

In return, the new Mercedes ran without major breakdowns. 'That's a bit different from last year,' said Rosberg and praised: 'It was a good decision to bring the car later. We now have a solid base and drive without much worries. Everything is much more thought-out. Even the mechanics like to screw on this car. I am sure that we are going in the right direction with it. '

It was an important experience to have driven the old car in Jerez for three days. 'That gave us a better feeling for the tires. They have more grip, especially on the rear axle, and they don't degrade as quickly.' Rosberg speculates that you might have to rethink things completely: 'Last year everything revolved around getting the breakdown of the rear tires under control.'

Mercedes W03 with less traction

With the new car, the World Cup seventh made first the same experience as his colleagues. 'You can feel that the blown diffuser is missing, especially when it comes to traction. There is simply less downforce. You notice that especially in slow corners. The car is more difficult to drive.'

You only get a real feeling of how good the supposedly poorer driving behavior is when you are on the track with the other cars. Rosberg spent the morning studying the lap times of Schumacher and the competition. 'The general feeling is good. I won't say more,' laughed the blond. Apparently that is also shared by the rest of the team: 'I'm lookingeverywhere in positive faces. '