HAMBURG: Michael Schumacher is raring to race again with a clear aim of winning Formula One world titles for Mercedes GP.
Schumacher, 41, said in an interview on his website on Wednesday that tests in a GP2 car last week in Spain went extremely well and that he never felt he was away from F1 for three years.
The record seven-times world champion retired in 2006 but is returning this season, which starts March 14 in Bahrain, at Mercedes GP alongside fellow-German driver Nico Rosberg.
“We have a clear aim: we want to win the championships. That’s what we will fight for from the beginning. That is my personal standard too,” Schumacher said.
“My energy is back completely. I really notice how the prickle is coming, how motivated I am because I so much look forward to this competition. It is about time to start this whole thing.”
Schumacher said that a neck injury from a motorcycle accident early in 2009, which had denied him a summer F1 comeback at Ferrari when Felipe Massa injured himself, did not bother him at all during the Jerez tests.
However, Schumacher said that he would still have to see how his body reacts when he returns into a Formula One car next month for pre-season tests in Valencia.
“It went better than I had expected. I immediately felt well in the car, it was as if I never was gone.
“The after-effects of that accident are gone since long, that’s why I was sure that the neck would not cause any problems. This was one year ago, that’s over ... (I) feel extremely fresh and fit.
“That was one of the reasons why I felt so good in the car in Jerez. But then, Formula One is another thing, the g-forces are higher, that’s not really comparable. That is why I look forward so much to testing in February. Only then the old feeling will be completely back. I can’t wait to be back there,” he said.
Schumacher’s high hopes in Mercedes GP showed when he signed for three years, and not just one.
Competing as Brawn GP last year before the acquisition by Mercedes, the team won the 2009 constructors title and drivers crown from Jenson Button. It is led by Ross Brawn, who was the mastermind behind all of Schumacher’s world titles.
“We want to achieve something together. The constellation we have here is pretty unique - with Ross and his world championship winning team, with the knowhow of Mercedes, with the best engine at the moment -, and we want to use that,” he said.
Schumacher also said that while he felt “relieved, just like freed,” when he quit in 2006, he now was hungry and ready to race again.
“It did me extremely well to be quiet for those three years. It really is as if my batteries were fully loaded,” Schumacher said.
