Friday, 10 September 2010 00:00
Michael Schumacher was encouraged by Mercedes GP’s pace on the opening day at Monza despite a low-key performance on the times, pointing to an improvement in the W01’s top speed.
Although its status as the works Mercedes outfit means it runs the German manufacturer’s class-leading V8 engine, the superior aerodynamic efficiency of rivals’ cars means the Brackley outfit has trailed a long way down the speed traps all season.
Unsurprisingly Mercedes appeared to be running a particularly skinny rear wing in practice, and Schumacher, who finished the two sessions in 10th and 14th places respectively, feels improvements to its straightline performance have been made – adding that the F-duct was also proving useful.
“Our performance today does not look too bad, especially in the first sector where we worked a lot on top speed, and look quite good,” said Schumacher, who harmlessly ran through the gravel at the Parabolica in the afternoon.
“We are using our F-duct and it worked well given that the benefits on this track, where you have to use a small rear wing, are naturally much smaller than on other circuits.
“I am looking forward to what will hopefully be an enjoyable weekend."
Having trailed Schumacher on pure pace for most of the Spa weekend, team-mate Nico Rosberg was back ahead of his legendary team-mate on the opening day in Italy, as he took his W01 to a fifth and then a 10th place.
He too was generally satisfied with the car’s performance, particularly on long runs, although he says he was experiencing understeer through the quickest parts of the lap.
"Today was ok and the car is generally working well which meant that we could do some useful fine-tuning of our set-up," Rosberg said.
“The tyres seem straightforward and I was happy with my long runs and the consistency that we were able to achieve.
“I had an issue with understeer through the faster parts of the track so we need to try to resolve that overnight.
“Our top speed looks reasonable so tomorrow will be about extracting the maximum from the car at its current level."
Meanwhile, the opening day at Monza saw Schumacher return to Ferrari’s homeland driving for a rival team for the first time in 15 years.
But irrespective of the colour he now represents, the five-time Italian GP winner was thrilled to be back driving at the historic venue.
"Monza has always been a great track to drive and from the sensations and the emotions that I experienced out there today, it feels just like it did over the many years that I have raced here previously,” he added.
