Michael Schumacher: “We have a good car but we have to remain cautious”

Twelve months ago, Schumacher and his Mercedes team believed they had a car capable of challenging for victory following good results in pre-season testing, but the W02 fell well short of these expectations.

This time, Schumacher believes Mercedes are in good shape compared to last year, but he says they need to keep expectations in check.

“The car is reliable, it's already good,” he told his official website. “The first impression is already quite positive. As soon as we left the garage with the car everything went well, so there is good potential.”

“We are going into the season much better prepared than in the last two years, and we are able to concentrate fully on the development of our car.”

“The speed is promising. I hope we can prove it in Melbourne. We were able to drive a lot during testing and therefore learn a lot about the car, and we have certainly made a step forward. But I want to wait until after the first race to judge how big this stage is and how competitive we will be compared to our competitors.”

Although some race simulation data during testing has highlighted the team's potential to be close to Red Bull Racing, Schumacher believes his rivals will remain ahead of everyone.

Speaking about his chances of victory in Melbourne, Schumacher said: “Victory for me is unlikely, I see Red Bull ahead. Behind them there is a smaller group, and it can get better or worse quickly.”

Asked why he wants to be cautious about his chances, Schumacher said: "Because we saw last year how wrong it is to rely on data from winter testing and because this year will be even more difficult."

“I don't have a clear picture yet. What I can say though is that the gap between the different teams will not be as big as last year.”

Schumacher also reiterated that he is in no rush to decide whether to extend his contract with Mercedes, which runs out at the end of this season.

“This is totally irrelevant at the moment, I don't even have time to think about it now,” he said. “Now, I'm just focused on developing and understanding our car, to have a positive season.”