Michael Schumacher confident in Malaysia

[GeorgeUnited32]

http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1/...t-for-Malaysia

Michael Schumacher is confident that Mercedes will be able to prove this weekend in Malaysia that their pace in Melbourne was not a fluke.

Schumacher was running in third place before a gearbox failure brought his weekend to a frustrating and premature end, but the German remains upbeat about the team's prospects as F1 moves on to Malaysia.

"After the disappointment of how the first race in Melbourne turned out, I am flying to Malaysia with a big sense of anticipation, because we saw in Australia that our car is capable of putting us in the mix," Schumacher reported.

"Of course, we haven't forgotten that the circuit in Melbourne is not really representative of the true competitive picture, but nevertheless the car gives me a good feeling for the season ahead. Sepang will be interesting for everybody because it will be the first clue to the real relative strengths of all the cars. The range of slow and fast corners give a good indication of where you are, which always makes the race in Malaysia fun for the drivers and engineers, and overall a big challenge for both man and machine. I'm looking forward to it."

Concurring with that optimistic outlook, team boss Ross Brawn has called on the team to maximise its return after failing to secure any points in Melbourne.

"Despite a positive start, our first race weekend of the season in Australia did not turn out as we would have wished, and there has been, and will continue to be, a lot of hard work done before we take to the track again in Malaysia. We have a fundamentally good car, now it is up to us to optimise its performance and achieve its potential on track."

[sarahtyne7]

Michael Schumacher has got to be the best wet weather driver of all time.