Formula One:Michael Schumacher admits he is having fun and "sleeping like a baby", which sounds ominous for his Formula One title rivals.
Schumacher naturally knows how to play the positivity card, but at the end of his first full test day for three and a half years, the 41-year-old certainly exuded confidence.
Schumacher completed 82 laps of Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo circuit in a Mercedes that suffered an hydraulic issue late on, curtailing his potential running by an hour.
Although nearly a second down on Fernando Alonso, who delighted a truly remarkable test crowd of 36,000 on his debut for Ferrari, the German was unruffled.
“I’m happy,” enthused Schumacher as he settled back into Formula One life after more than three years in retirement.
“We had a little hydraulic leak that stopped us, but all in all, very positive. The car is running very smoothly, very nicely, and it’s looking very positive going into the season.
“I’m thinking we will be competitive, but whether it’s a winning car or not, that’s another story. I can’t say.
“For me, that’s not so important right now. It’s a long season and we need to be there, to take good points at the beginning.
“I don’t expect to win right from the start. It’s not something I’m aiming for and expecting, but we need to be strong in development.”
Although admitting the pace of old team Ferrari is “very strong,” he is relaxed and excited.
“You can imagine after three years away, it’s a new challenge and a new experience, a very different one,” added Schumacher.
“It’s a different team, a different environment, so lots of interesting things I am experiencing, but they are good fun.
“I’ve also slept very well. In fact, I’ve slept like a little baby, so it’s been good.”
World champion Jenson Button said it was too early to tell whether the car was good enough to take him to a second title.
The Briton completed 82 laps in the MP4-25 and was fifth fastest of the seven drivers on track on the last day of the first pre-season test. He said it had been a "tough day".
"It's been a long day and it would have been nice to get more testing done," added the 30-year-old, who won his title with Brawn, now Mercedes.
"I've been doing a lot of work making sure I'm comfortable in the car. I wasn't quite where I wanted to be. I was quite high in the car and uncomfortable," added Button, who worked until 1am with the team in the build-up to the test.
"I had to change a lot within the car. I fit well now and feel comfortable with my head in the car now."
Button knew immediately after his first test with the Brawn last year that he had what he would later call a 'monster' of a car, one that would allow him to win six of that season's opening seven races.
His reaction was more muted on Wednesday.
"It's difficult because this is not the best circuit to get a feeling of how the cars going to be during the season," he added. "It's very different to any other circuit to race on, the balance is very different."