ARCELONA TEST - DAY ONE  

Track Circuit de Catalunya Driver Michael Schumacher  No of Laps 90 laps Best Lap Time 1:27.512 Kms Covered 419 kms Track Length 4.655 kms  Weather Sunny 

Formula One's third pre-season test began at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona yesterday with Michael Schumacher kicking off the programme for the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team.

 Nico Rosberg will take over the car  Saturday and Sunday, before Michael completes the four-day test on Monday.

With the track damp from overnight rain and taking time to come up to speed, Michael first headed out midway through the morning to complete aerodynamic evaluations and balance checks.

Following the lunch break,he completed a successful race simulation including pit stops. Michael completed 90 laps in total .

Michael Schumacher: "We had a good day and it is certainly satisfying to finish a race distance with all of the systems operational and to hav eeverything working fine. Now we have to turn our focus to performance and it was important to complete today's simulation to understand how the car and tyres behave going from a heavy to lighter fuel load."