Schumacher as a young man

Michael Schumacher was able to take the wheel of the Mercedes in the middle of the afternoon, after Nico Rosberg started testing the MGP W01 in the morning and midday. The seven-time world champion then set the third fastest time of the day, showing consistency and speed on the Ricardo-Tormo circuit in Valencia.

« It was a perfect launch for our new car today, says Schumi. I felt totally at ease and I really had the feeling that everything was natural to me. I felt like I did at the start of my career in 1991 when I felt on my first lap “wow, this is going really fast.”. Then, during the second round, I was really happy and excited. »

Like a makeover, this first day of testing erased Michael Schumacher?s 41 years and made him forget that he was coming out of a three-year “retirement”. “ I feel like a young man again and I had a great time. We did a good job today. The most important thing is that the car proved to be reliable. With Nico, we covered 79 laps, it?s superb teamwork. »