Mercedes Benz

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Jerez, Spain, Jan 14, 2010

Michael Schumacher concluded his three-day GP2 development test today in Jerez. Clear blue skies, strong winds and a much drier track meant the final day of the test was the best of the week with Michael able to run on slick tyres for the majority of the day.


Michael completed 130 laps in total and covered 576kms which brings the total amount of distance covered to 1151kms in three days. This morning, he ran for 23 laps in wet tyres before switching to slicks for the rest of the day. Today’s session included three long runs of 20 laps each and Michael set his best laptime of the day on his last run with a 1:24.621.

Michael said: “I could really drive a lot on this last day of testing and it worked out perfectly. I am very happy with the way testing went here: we worked well, times and consistency were well, we could do everything we had scheduled to do. I feel fit and I felt comfortable immediately back in the car - hey, let’s go for it!”

GP2 Series organiser Bruno Michel said: “This has been a fantastic opportunity for the GP2 Series and everyone involved in the competition. Michael’s analysis and feedback was fantastic and the GP2 technical staff who has been working with him this week is positive that what has been learned from this development test will provide us with an even better car in 2011. We are very happy that Michael chose our car to get his sensations back at the wheel of a high-performance machine and that he stated that it was the closest thing to a current Formula 1 car. He made a few comments comparing the GP2 and the F1 cars notably regarding their handling. We are now looking forward the second round of the GP2 Asia Series next month in Abu Dhabi and we would like to wish Michael all the best for his return to Formula One.”

* Official photos courtesy of Mercedes GP Petronas *

Copyright © 2010, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.