Michael Schumacher has sent out a message to his rivals during the second day of testing at Jerez, with the German beginning to answer the questions posed over the potential of his new MGP W02 challenger. After completing 112 laps of the Spanish circuit, Schumacher finished the day fractions quicker than former Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa.

Testing got underway with the air temperature hitting almost 10°C (50°F) at the Spanish venue on Friday morning. The Circuito de Jerez enjoyed yet more clear skies, as the busy test-schedule continues ahead of the 2011 season. Two driver changes occurred over night, with Lewis Hamilton handing over the MP4-26 to Jenson Button for the day, while Michael Schumacher took to the wheel of his Mercedes.

As usual, the 9am - 5pm schedule was in place for all 11 teams present, with only HRT absent from the test. Jaime Alguersuari was quick to set some representative lap times in his STR7, enjoying a full-day on-track after sharing the opening day with Daniel Ricciardo. The Spaniard beat his fastest time of 1:22.689 from yesterday’s running, with an early effort that left him on top during the opening sequence of laps.

Alguersuari went on to cause the first red flag period of the day, after going off the track in sector two. The session got back underway at quarter past nine, with most cars heading straight back out to continue their programmes. As the morning progressed, Schumacher jumped to the top of the timesheets, with a time of 1:20.352.

A second red-flag was issued as lunchtime approached at Jerez, as Renault’s Vitaly Petrov ended his run in the gravel trap at turn two. Sergio Pérez was soon to provide the field with another stoppage however, after coming to halt at turn eight. It was quickly clear that Pérez had made contact with the barriers, as his C30 was transported back to the pits with front suspension damage.

Fellow F1 newcomer Pastor Maldonado also had an off track excursion, giving the Williams mechanics a lot of work to do overnight in order to prepare the car for tomorrow. Yet another red flag was issued at this point of the day, and running at the circuit in Southern Spain was halted once again. The Venezuelan had enjoyed a much better time at the wheel of his new car until the incident, after a morning troubled by technical issues on Thursday.

A relatively calm end to the day saw Schumacher remain on top, with the German fastest out of the runners present at Jerez on Friday. The 42-year-old will be making way for team-mate Nico Rosberg tomorrow, who will continue testing with the new Mercedes contender.

Testing action will continue in Jerez at 9am local time on Saturday (GMT +1)

Pos. Driver Team Time Laps
1. Michael Schumacher Mercedes Grand Prix 01:20.352 112
2. Felipe Massa Ferrari 01:20.413 116
3. Jenson Button McLaren 01:21.009 69
4. Jaime Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso 01:21.214 72
5. Mark Webber Red Bull 01:21.613 112
6. Adrian Sutil Force India F1 01:21.780 73
7. Sergio Perez Sauber 01:21.857 56
8. Timo Glock Virgin Racing 01:22.208 57
9. Vitaly Petrov Renault 01:22.493 64
10. Pastor Maldonado Williams 01:22.591 37
11. Jarno Trulli Lotus F1 01:23.216 40

SOURCE:Schumacher ends day two at Jerez on top - GPUpdate.net

 

Wow, good for him! Hopefully he's a legit contender this year.

 

did you really just "wow" a 7 time world champ?

 

He says he likes the Pirelli tire. That might make the difference for him.

He won't be on my Fantasy Team though.

 

im still astounded at alex patting him on the head for topping a test session

 

I realize it's early but I'm happy for the guy. Better than finishing at the back of the pack with the Virgin and Lotus guys.

 

im happy for him too, im just not surprised at all. given a proper car schumi is still schumi.

 

Maybe he'll return in full this season. It's also nice to see STR in the upper half.

 

I suppose now we will have to add allanlambo to the ranks of Tifosi.

 

just cause he got the 31 world titles badge in his 458 doesnt mean he follows F1