Schumacher: Car ready for top places

Mercedes GP bounced back from troubled early testing form to deliver a major step forward with its final race update in Barcelona last week - as Schumacher helped the outfit top the times during a qualifying simulation run that surprised some rivals with its speed.

And although Schumacher is keeping his cards close to his chest about just how competitive he thinks the W02 is, he is already eyeing a more competitive performance from the team than it delivered last year.

"We are going in the right direction. Definitely," Schumacher said in an interview with German agency SID on Tuesday. "We should be in a good position this year. But as to whether we already have a winning car - for this assessment I would like to first wait a few races.

"Anyway, with the car we will be able to fight for the top places, and that is good news. The team did a great job."

Although Schumacher's return to F1 did not deliver on the huge hype surrounding it, the seven-time champion says he is still fired up by the challenge of making a success of his return.

"I never thought that I would come back after three years and everything would be as before," he said. "I am a realist in this respect...it is true that the re-acclimatisation has taken longer than I hoped, but I was always clear that it would be difficult and that there would be no guarantee of success. I am the type who is encouraged by challenges."

He added: "We are talking about a highly complex, highly competitive and ever-changing sport - so you cannot expect that things will always run as desired. It is important to stay strong and keep concentrated on the work. We did that and I am convinced that Mercedes will become a championship contender."

But despite his feeling on Mercedes GP's competitiveness, he is open that it is Sebastian Vettel who starts the year as favourite.

"Red Bull looks very strong, and therefore, Sebastian is a favourite going into the season."