Mercede’s Michael Schumacher was positive after his first day’s testing in the new W03. The seven-time World Champion gave a brief press interview at the end of the afternoon session – and Badger was on hand to hear his thoughts.
The resident German legend stated the he was “resonably positive” about the fact that he managed 51 laps and 6th place, before hydraulic failure ended his time in the car early. “It has good potential. I had a good feeling inside the car. It’s difficult to say what that feeling is worth because of the rule changes, but the potential is good.”
Schumacher spoke about the new Pirelli compounds, which he feels are “more like an F1 tyre in comparison to last year”, as well as the fact that Mercedes has plenty of data to use thanks to spending the Jerez test using their 2011 car.
When asked about the challenges facing returning drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Pedro De La Rosa, the German stated that the main challenge is “to get used to the team around you, as well as tailor-making the car to be more to your liking as time goes on”.
Finally, the question about the 2012 cars and the implementation of the “ugly rule” didn’t faze Michael, as long as he’s sitting in a quick car. “For us it’s very transparent. The main point is that the aero numbers are good and there are different ways of interpreting the rules. We’ll find out what is the better way. For us it’s not really anything special. The most important thing is what we see on the clock and that is what I’m looking at.”
