Schumacher - I Have to Get Used to the New Tires

Although finishing 6th at his return in the Formula One racing, 7-time world champion Michael Schumacher insisted he was pleased with his performance on Sunday. As revealed before the season opener, Schumacher was not expecting a podium run in Bahrain, as his Mercedes W01 was clearly the last challenger – out of the leading 4 teams – in terms of performance following the winter tests.

However, an additional information provided by the 41-year old German was that the new cars of the 2010 season cannot be pushed as hard as the ones of the 2006 campaign – his last season in the series before quitting Ferrari. Apparently, this characteristic not only turns overtaking into a hard-to-achieve maneuver, but makes it easier and more boring for the driver to race it.

The new cars carry some 150 kg more weight as compared to the last season due to the larger fuel tanks designed by the teams – consequence of the refueling ban.

“The race wasn't very hard for me. If you look at the lap times, you can see that we are a lot slower than when I was driving before. That's because of the tires we have now. It's not possible to push as hard as before, so therefore it's easier for the driver,” said Schumacher.

Additionally, the German admitted that the feature he has to get more comfortable with at his return in the series is the tires. Due to the refueling ban introduced by the FIA in 2010, Bridgestone has proceeded to changing the design and compound of their tires, issuing a narrower front tire for the 2010 season.

“I'd say tires are the thing that has changed most since I last raced three years ago. With my driving style, I have to get the car to the point that I work better with this narrower front tire. I want the car to move around the corner the way I think it should be doing it. That's something we have to work on,” revealed Schumacher.