Schumacher cautious about new chassis

When he comes to the track at Montmelo Circuit, for the Spanish Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher will be driving a revised version of the Mercedes W01, the seven-time world F1 champion warns that the improvements being made might not be enough to put them at the front of the pack in Spain.

“Our step forward in Barcelona will be bigger than you can make at each race during the flyaways but it would not be realistic to expect us to suddenly be competing right at the front,” said Schumacher in a preview of the Spanish Grand Prix.

The German driver also says that he is confident on the work of his team and a lot of potential in the technical improvements made on the W01. Schumacher also says he is pleased with the good reaction of the team in the first four races of the season.

In Spain Schumacher will be hoping to improve on his results as he is feeling fully motivated inside the cockpit of his F1 car.

“I am hoping for a better race in Barcelona than I had in China and of course I would not mind having had better results so far. However the good news is that after three years away, I am feeling extremely motivated. So I am clearly ready to take this challenge.”

In the preview released by Mercedes GP team, team-boss Ross Brawn explained the main changes that will be made in the W01 for the Spanish GP, hoping that they will improve the competitiveness of the team.

“In addition to a major aerodynamic and bodywork package, we have made changes to the wheelbase of the car which will help the overall handling and weight distribution. Michael will use a different chassis for Barcelona as we take the opportunity of having the cars back at the factory after the flyaway races to repair some damage to his original chassis. He will switch to our first chassis which was previously used during the pre-season tests.”