Barrichello Tells Rosberg to Get Out of Mercedes Team

After the first day of testing in Valencia, one can only say one thing about Michael Schumacher. The man still has it in him to become a serious contender for the world title. Seeing the sudden good pace he had from his very first lap in the Mercedes W01, most of the drivers present at Valencia were impressed with what they saw.

Rubens Barrichello was one of them, as the Brazilian used the entire day testing Williams' FW32 single-seater on Monday. Asked by the reporters what would be a decent advice for Nico Rosberg – Michael Schumacher's teammate at Mercedes – Barrichello responded instantly.

“Yeah. Get out of there. That is the only thing I can tell him,” smiled Barrichello.

“I am not being bad (negative) about it. Knowing what I know, and seeing how fast Michael went today, it is going to be a tough job (for Rosberg). I wish him all the best because I think he is a talented boy who can be world champion,” added the Brazilian driver, who used to partner Schu at Ferrari, under the same management of Ross Brawn.

Additionally, Rosberg admitted that it was odd seeing the majority of journalists seeking his teammate for interviews, while barely noticing that he was around too.

“In the morning at the launch, 100 cameras were on Michael and only one on me. I will get used to it and I understand it, and I am a racing driver. How many cameras there are for me is not important,” said Rosberg, according to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

After the first day of testing, Schumacher's best time on the Ricardo Tormo Circuit was 1:12.947, while Rosberg's was 1:13.543.