Haug: New car will help Schumi
Seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher will improve on his disappointing performance in his comeback season last year as Mercedes GP now has a new "more sophisticated" car, says team boss Norbert Haug.
The 42-year-old German failed to reach the podium in 19 Formula One races in 2010 and was completely outshone by teammate Nico Rosberg who finished the campaign 70 points ahead of Schumacher.
"Michael needs to adapt again, it's a different Formula One that he was used to before," Haug told a news conference at the Ricardo Tormo race track near Valencia where Formula One teams began three days of testing on Tuesday.
"He will have a better year when our car is competitive and I think we have every reason to believe that we have a car that will a big step forward compared to last year's."
He said finishing fourth in constructors' championship last year "was what we deserved in the end... But ultimately we will reach our targets, I'm absolutely convinced because we are heading in the right direction."
The new MGP W02 Silver Arrow, unveiled on Tuesday with silver and green livery, is "more sophisticated... A lot of work was done on the new car and there are improvements."
Schumacher has blamed technical problems for his poor return to Formula One after his three-year hiatus, saying the car did not always handle the same as Rosberg's.
But he has vowed to put the problems behind him and win his first world drivers' championship since 2004.
Schumacher and Rosberg try out the vehicle on the track in Valencia on Tuesday at the first of the four pre-season tests ahead of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on 13 March.
The new car design incorporates the various regulation changes that will be enforced in 2011 - most notably the introduction of an adjustable rear wing, operated by the driver to aid overtaking.
It also includes the KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery) system, a device that stores energy created by braking and which can be used to boost power at certain points during the race.
Credit: PlanetF1.com (www.planetf1.com)
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