VALENCIA, Spain (AP) -Michael Schumacher marked his return to Formula One by setting the third fastest lap time during a testing session Monday driving for his new Mercedes GP team.
The former Brawn GP team rolled out its W01 car at Valencia's Cheste Circuit, with Nico Rosberg kicking off three days of testing by being third quickest before the lunch break.
Seven-time world champion Schumacher, who is back after three years out of the sport, needed 17 laps in the afternoon to beat his teammate's time before eventually clocking a best lap of 1 minute, 12.947 seconds. That was less than four-tenths of a second off the pace set by his former Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa.
``I feel like a kid with this toy in his hands and he enjoys himself,'' Schumacher said. ``I think we have done a very good job. The guys did a superb job with their control checks today to make the car reliable.''
The 41-year-old Schumacher, who was driving for the first time since the 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix, said his neck felt ``very good'' after it had kept him from returning last summer to replace the injured Massa.
Seeing Massa and the red Ferrari on the track was a little surreal, however.
``I suddenly see my old car on the track - it's a strange sensation,'' said Schumacher, who was given the green light to return after recovering from the neck and back injuries sustained in a motor bike accident last year. ``But it's good to see (Massa) on the track. I enjoy to see my friends.''
Fellow German driver Rosberg also gave a positive impression of the car, which last year helped Jenson Button to the championship and Brawn GP to the constructors' title.
``There are so many new circumstances that I cannot feel is it a winner or is it not a winner. It generally felt very good but impossible to be sure of how the performance is by now,'' Rosberg said, putting emphasis on how the ban on refueling will shape the new season. ``In recent years you would have a better impression, but now with the fuel level you really don't know what other people are running either.''
Rosberg, who had the day's fourth fastest lap and was just under half a second behind Massa, said he felt ``at home'' with his new team after four years at Williams.
``Honestly it felt really similar, it was a really nice feeling,'' said Rosberg, who added that the biggest change was adapting to the physical quirks of a new car. Rosberg had trouble just fitting into the cockpit.
Aside from the new silver-and-green livery, the most notable change to Mercedes' first F1 car in more than 50 years was the nose section, which features its own take on a configuration begun by Red Bull last season.
Norbert Haug, vice president of motor sport at Mercedes, said the team collected a lot of useful data from its 78 laps.
``It's quite something - no one would have believed this a year ago,'' Haug said.
Once both drivers have adapted to the car, they will also have to work together, with Rosberg already motivated by Schumacher's arrival.
``It has given me a little bit extra motivation, I must say, just that little touch extra to have him there,'' Rosberg said. ``I get on well with him for now and he respects me also and I respect him, so it's good. I think we can get on very well and be very good teammates.''
