Michael Schumacher concluded the pre-season test in Valencia today for Mercedes by completing 110 laps of the Ricardo Tormo circuit.
The seven-time world champion was ninth fastest as he focused on reliability and mileage accumulation with the new MGP W02. He also had the opportunity to use the Mercedes KERS for the first time.
“We were able to achieve a lot of valuable mileage and it was a positive day,” said Schumacher. “I am pleased with that, and with how the car was behaving. Again, of course, this is not our final race car for the season but a lot of elements have already proved to be a significant step forward.
“I felt totally comfortable in the car immediately and noticed how much I had missed driving since November. We have a lot of work ahead of us, and this week gives us a very good idea of where we should concentrate our work. I look forward to going to Jerez now.”
Ross Brawn was clearly pleased at the end of a productive day. “A good day's work today with Michael, and we have been able to cover some significant mileage which is important for our reliability checks,” the Mercedes team principal summarised. “We're starting to get an insight into the car's behaviour and its responses to various set-up changes are proving to be very consistent. After a few difficulties at the start of the test, we have finished with a strong day providing plenty of data and options to take forward to the next test in Jerez.”
The next pre-season test begins in Jerez on Thursday 10th February.
