Schumacher: Mercedes ready for title

Clearly eager to get on with his first test in the 2010 car, which will be unveiled at the Valencia test next week, Schumacher said at the launch of his team's new colour scheme in Stuttgart on Monday that all the elements were in place for a successful campaign.

"I think we have everything it takes to do it," said Schumacher, appearing in Mercedes-Benz race overalls.

"It's one thing to have all the ingredients to be able to cook it up but it's another thing to have a good result. I believe with the experience Ross has, with what we did last year, having Mercedes as the team itself, with all the experience and the know-how and the quality they have, on top of myself... I'm sorry but there's only one target.

"But it's one thing to have a target and another thing to achieve it."

Schumacher confirmed that physically he was in top shape, and that his neck had held up perfectly well to last week's outing in a GP2 car at Jerez in Spain.

"Yes, I'm sure," he said when asked if he was confident he was fit enough for an F1 return. "I'm hot. It's just taking far too long to get going and we can't wait for next week. I have no issues with the neck. I've done the GP2 test and lots of preparation in the winter, lots of check to make sure all is good."

Schumacher also revealed that team principal Ross Brawn had been pushing him to make a return before this year - and that he was first approached about a potential tie-up with Honda two years ago.

"Quite honestly, we had been almost every year in contact," said Schumacher about his contacts with Brawn. "When he went to Honda at the time, he sort of suggested that there was an option, but I wasn't ready for it.

"We always kept in contact, and saw each other at the races and we had loose contact - sometimes it was a serious question from him and sometimes it was a joke. In Abu Dhabi, he sort of touched already a little bit about this subject, but not deeply. We were just celebrating mainly, and then he called me.

"Knowing that he calls me at this time of the year, and you know what is going on in the business, you knew what was going to be his question."