Return easier than I expected

Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher admitted his high-profile return to Formula One after a three-year absence was easier than he thought....

Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher admitted his high-profile return to Formula One after a three-year absence was easier than he thought. The 41-year-old German was third fastest in his Mercedes on the final day of testing on Wednesday,just behind Ferraris Fernando Alonso and Saubers Pedro de la Rosa.

Actually its been much easier than I anticipated. I thought it would need a bit more time but it went pretty quickly, said Schumacher,who put in a gruelling 82 laps. Im really happy. I had a good first day,with a rather short run 40 laps on Monday. Today we had a full day. A little hydraulic leak has stopped us.

But all in all,its very positive feedback. The car is running very smoothly,very nicely. Im very positive. Im feeling quite good. The main focus right now is to look at the reliability,do as many laps as you can,and dont worry too much about the lap times. I guess you look at them,but you need to focus.

Schumacher,who will team up with Nico Rosberg at Mercedes,stunned Formula One in December when he announced his return to the sport,leaping at the opportunity to work again with Ross Brawn,the man who helped guide him to his world title collection.

He will also be the focus of attention when the 2010 world championship opens in Bahrain on March 14. However,he refused to get carried away by his performance in testing,which also saw him clock the third fastest time in Mondays opening session. I think we will be competitive,but whether this is a winning car straightaway or not,thats another story. For me thats not so important its a long season, he said. We need to be there and taking points from the beginning. I wouldnt expect to be winning right from the beginning. It wasnt something that I was aiming for and expecting to be the case. But we need to be strong enough on development.

Heidfeld joins Mercedes

Nick Heidfeld joined the Mercedes Formula One team as test and reserve driver on Thursday,completing a trio of Germans in a line-up led by Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg. Whilst I would of course have preferred a seat as an active driver,I am really proud to be part of the new Silver Arrows team. I have seen how committed everyone at the team is and I feel the same, Heidfeld said in a statement.

The 32-year-old,who raced for BMW-Sauber last year,has competed in 167 grands prix without winning any of them. He has finished second on eight occasions,however. Renault,who have signed his 2009 team mate Robert Kubica, had been Heidfelds last remaining hope of a competitive race drive but they opted for Russian Vitaly Petrov. The only other teams with vacancies are newcomers Campos and US F1.

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Thursdays announcement brought Heidfelds Formula One career full circle,with the German starting out as a test driver at Mercedes-powered McLaren in 1998 before making his debut with Prost in 2000.