Michael Schumacher says Mercedes will become a championship contender – Formula 1 news
Formula 1 Mercedes GP driver Michael Schumacher has said that the team will become a championship contender in the upcoming 2011 season.
He said in order to do that, it is important for him to stay strong and keep his concentration on his work over the entire season.
The seven-time world champion is confident ahead of the 2011 season races because he understood the upgraded package of Mercedes and testing the new Pirelli tyres during the winter tests. With regards to the tyres, Schumacher has already used the Pirelli
rubber in the 2010 season.
The 42-year-old Schumacher admitted that he is part of a highly competitive sport so nobody can expect the things will always turn out as he desires.
In the pre-season tests, Schumacher made good progress and tried to set the pace of Mercedes but due to some mechanical issues in the new MGP-W02 car, he did not post the best scores on the timesheets.
As he came back on the grid after three years, it was a big challenge for him to move into a highly complex sport.
Schumacher said, “I never thought that I would come back after three years and everything would be as before. I am a realist in this respect...it is true that the re-acclimatisation has taken longer than I hoped, but I was always clear that it would be difficult
and that there would be no guarantee of success. I am the type who is encouraged by challenges.”
Mercedes GP’s overall progress was good over the test sessions and ahead of its positive performance, they are looking forward to a successful season. Schumacher stated that the team is going in the right direction and have a better condition than 2010.
He further added Mercedes should retain their positive position in the 2011 season’s races.
He told the media, “Anyway, with the car we will be able to fight for the top places, and that is good news. The team did a great job.”
On the other hand, Schumacher praised Vettel’s performance that he built in the test sessions. He said, “Red Bull looks very strong, and therefore, Sebastian is a favourite going into the season.”
In last month in February, Vettel hinted a very competitive 2011 season among the strong contenders of F1, including Michael Schumacher.
On the other hand, some drivers have pointed the age of Schumacher, but he did not mind it and responded that he is still good enough for Formula 1 world. He also mentioned that he is not the same now as he was 10 or 15 years ago.
It will be interesting to see the fight among the strong contenders of F1 over the 2011 season races.
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