Schumacher seeking single-lap pace

The Spanish street circuit is the first venue this year that Schumacher is having to learn, as it only joined the calendar in 2008. He said he had enjoyed the venue so far.

"It was exciting to drive the track for the first time today, probably even to a bigger extent than I had anticipated yesterday after checking it," Schumacher said.

"So this morning for me was mostly about getting a feeling for the track. You need to get used to it but I found it quite comfortable to drive even if some of the corners are blind. However it's demanding to get the real rhythm which I have not totally found over one lap yet.

"The long runs went okay and all in all it was not too bad today, depending on the fuel loads obviously which we need to look into more deeply now."

Schumacher had a near miss with Lewis Hamilton at the final corner late in the second session, and apologised for inadvertently impeding the McLaren.

"I must apologise as I did not see him and was not informed that he was there," said the German. "As I was planning my lap at that moment and looking ahead, I was unfortunately in his way."

Nico Rosberg set the morning pace in the other Mercedes and fourth later on. He was optimistic about his form for the rest of the weekend.

"The team has done a good job on our upgrades and I'm sure that they have improved our competitiveness," said Rosberg. "We have a few bits and pieces to resolve overnight but we are on the right track which is nice to see.

"We know that our race pace is better than our qualifying performance at the moment so if we can get our qualifying right, we should make good progress this weekend."