Nico Rosberg says it's time to deliver for Mercedes F1 team

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By Sam Tremayne and Jonathan Noble    Tuesday, February 21st 2012, 13:48 GMT

Nico Rosberg, MercedesNico Rosberg believes it is now time for Mercedes to start delivering improvements on track this season.

On the back of the restructuring that has taken place at the Brackley-based outfit since Mercedes-Benz took over, plus the recruitment of high-profile technical figures like Bob Bell, Geoff Willis and Aldo Costa, Rosberg thinks the time has come for the team to show it is heading in the right direction.

"For me it is very clear that we need to start our progress on the upward trend now," said Rosberg at Barcelona on Tuesday.

"We are on a very good path towards that, especially in the factory you can feel that the whole organisation is strengthened.

"Things are working better, people are working better together and the whole atmosphere is much more positive now. There is a good feeling in the factory, so you can feel the upward trend is now starting.

"What that will be in terms of results and positions I don't know yet, but it needs to be progress. I am confident that we can make that happen."

Rosberg says his early impressions of the new W03 car have been encouraging, even though it is hard to gauge its competitiveness because of the change in regulations this year.

"We did quite a few laps on Sunday, and the impressions were positive in general but difficult in terms of pace to get a real feel," he said. "It was more just the general impression of the car, how it was put together - the general feel of it.

"It is agile, easy to drive, and looking at it also, everything is working as expected, so generally it is a much more positive start. That was the first impression."

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Michael Schumacher pleased with new Mercedes F1 car potential
By Sam Tremayne and Pablo Elizalde    Tuesday, February 21st 2012, 17:31 GMT

Michael Schumacher, MercedesMichael Schumacher is positive about the potential of the new Mercedes W03 after his first day of public running on Tuesday.

The German, who had already driven the car during a shakedown and during Sunday's private test in Barcelona, managed 51 laps on his way to the sixth quickest time of the day.

Although Schumacher's session was shortened due to a hydraulic problem, the seven-time champion was pleased with how the new car handles.

"Reasonably positive," said Schumacher of his day. "It is the fourth day we are in the car and it's the first time we had a little issue with the hydraulics.

"It has good potential. I had a good feeling inside the car. It's difficult to say what that feeling is worth because of the rule changes, but the potential is good."

He refused to judge the pace of the car compared to the opposition, however.

"I don't want to be too precise right now, because I have not been able to overlay our running with the other guys and that is the important matter that can give me a direction, or at least confirm the feeling that I have."

Schumacher also said he had no concerns about the looks of the new car as long as it's quick.

"For us it's very transparent. The main point is that the aero numbers are good and there are different ways of interpreting the rules. We'll find out what is the better way. For us it's not really anything special. The most important thing is what we see on the clock and that is what I'm looking at."

And the Mercedes driver, whose contract with the team expires this year, said he is not thinking about his plans at the moment.

"There's no reason to make any statements or comments about my future. I will make a decision when it's the right time."