MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula One Team
Day 3 Valencia Tests
Wednesday, 3 February 2010

Weather : Cool and sunny  
Ambient Temperature: Maximum 14°C 
Track Temperature: Maximum 19°C

Michael Schumacher returned to the cockpit of the MGP W01 car in Valencia today for the third and final day of the first Formula One pre-season test session.

Following his first experience of the new 2010 car on Monday afternoon, Michael spent the early part of his first full day working on the set-up and developing the balance of the car. For the afternoon, the focus switched to long runs before a hydraulic problem on the car brought the day to a close one hour early.

Michael completed 82 laps today and set the third fastest time - a 01:12.438.

The next test for the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team starts on Wednesday 10 February in Jerez, Spain.

Michael Schumacher: "I'm very happy to have been back in a Formula One car this week. We had a short run on Monday and then almost a full day today which has been good. The experience has been very positive and the car is running smoothly with just a small hydraulic leak which stopped us slightly early today. The main focus is on reliability and doing as many laps as we can so we're not too worried about looking at the lap times right now. It's a new challenge and a new experience for me this year but knowing Ross so well and working with him again has made it very easy and I feel at home in the team already. I'm feeling fresh and motivated and very positive about the season ahead. I can't wait to be back in the car to continue the programme in Jerez next week."

TIMES (All timings are unofficial)

1. Fernando Alonso  Ferrari    1:11.470 127 
2. Pedro De La Rosa BMW Sauber   1:12.094 80 
3. Michael Schumacher MERCEDES GP PETRONAS  1:12.438 82 
4. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso   1:12.576 97 
5. Jenson Button  Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 1:12.951 82 
6. Vitaly Petrov  Renault    1:13.097 75 
7. Nico Hulkenberg  Williams   1:13.669 126