Schumacher sees Mercedes behind Red Bull in Melbourne

Less than ten days before the Australian Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher shares his impressions of the Mercedes AMG W03 on his website: « The car is reliable, which is already good. The first impressions were already quite positive; we left the pit with the car and everything went well, so there is potential. We are approaching the season much better prepared than the last two years, and we can fully concentrate on the development of our car. »

While he admits he hopes to show that Mercedes is fast in Melbourne, where he has won four times, the German remains cautious about his chances of victory: « For me, victory is unlikely, I see Red Bull ahead. Behind them, it will be close and you can go from hero to zero quite quickly. It will depend a lot on the ability to find the right settings for the track. »

Seasoned Formula One veteran and seven-time world champion, he knows that the winter verdict sometimes diverges from that of the first Grand Prix evening: « We were able to do a lot of running during the tests and therefore learn a lot as well, and we have certainly taken a step forward. I would simply like to wait until the end of the first race to judge our progress and where we stand compared to our rivals. [I remain cautious about our chances] because last year we saw that we could be completely wrong by relying on data collected during winter testing, and because we can see that the gaps will be very tight this year. I don’t have a very precise idea [of the hierarchy] yet. »

While awaiting a possible retirement or a contract extension, the German enthusiastically approaches the prospect of facing five other world champions, a first in the history of the discipline: « It’s fabulous considering that, for a while, I was the only one on track. It’s good for Formula One and it could ensure some exciting races and lots of action. In any case, it makes me even more eager to start this season. »