Schumacher upbeat about his chances

Date published : 28 Feb 2010 - 22:05:40

Michael Schumacher says he is 'feeling good' about Mercedes' prospects as he prepares for his first grand prix since 2006. The seven times world champion said his team had made important steps forward during this week's Catalunya sessions, leaving him more positive than he had been previously. "The four testing days here in Barcelona have helped us to make significant progress with the MGP W01 and I am feeling quite confident for the start of the season," he said. "It is always difficult to read too much into testing but knowing our programme, it is fair to say that the times did not always reflect the true picture." Mercedes will bring a batch of new parts to the Bahrain Grand Prix, with rumours suggesting an innovative new diffuser could be on the cards, but Schumacher now reckons that his squad is looking strong regardless of what the upgrades add. "We are heading to the first race with a good feeling and we know that we will have our upgrades there," he said. "But most of all we know that our prospects for even the first races are looking very reasonable now." However team boss Ross Brawn said he wasn't quite satisfied with Mercedes' speed yet. "In performance terms, we are not quite where we want to be yet but then again we are not far off," he said. "In testing, it is always difficult to be precise about your position relative to the competition, and we have our complete upgrade package due for the first race in Bahrain which should bring further improvements."