Michael Schumacher has tempered talk of winning the 2011 Formula One title, but the veteran expects to be competitive.
German reckons he can be the best of the rest after Red Bull
Michael Schumacher has tempered talk of winning the 2011 Formula One title, but the veteran expects to be competitive starting at the Australian Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion endured a toothless comeback last season and was left fighting for the scraps in his Mercedes vehicle.
Schumacher failed to bag a podium finish in 2010, the first time since his first full season in F1, but the 42-year-old has no doubts his second season with Mercedes will be a success, even if it fails to bring an eighth world title.
"I expressed myself last year very clearly and it hasn't changed," said Schumacher, who believes he has benefited from a radical upgrade of his car during the Barcelona testing a fortnight ago.
"The most important thing is to fight for the championship at the time we are ready for it.
"To be on the podium would be great, but does it really change anything? No.
"What does change is if we can achieve our target of winning a championship. That is what I am here for and what we are fighting really hard for.
"Are we ready right now? No. Can we win a race? Maybe. Would it satisfy me? Absolutely, I would be thrilled about this, no doubt, because it is all about winning at the end of the day."
Huge steps
As far as Schumacher is concerned, after watching winter testing up close, his shrewd and experienced eye believes champions Red Bull Racing are again the frontrunners.
It is why Schumacher feels a place on the podium is the most that can be hoped for right now.
"Mercedes have made a huge step forward with this year's car," said Schumacher.
"It is a very performance-orientated car and it has paid off. This weekend it is up to us to prove it, and we have a good opportunity to do so.
"Nevertheless we should not over-estimate things and see the truth, which is that Red Bull Racing are most likely the team to beat.
"We are going to play an important role just behind, along with Ferrari, Renault and Williams who all look good, whilst McLaren cannot be forgotten. I expect them to be stronger than they were in testing.
"This is the pack, so I see a good opportunity that we might be able to fight for the position of being second fastest."
