The King is back...

Love him or loath him, there’s no denying that when Michael Schumacher’s on track and pumping in the laps, people sit up and take notice.

Today in Valencia the seven-time champion took the circuit for the first time in the new Mercedes challenger - shaking off the plethora of media monitoring his every move - to do what he does best.

Okay, he didn’t set the fastest time on the first day of pre-season testing, but that’s not the point. What the 41-year old veteran did prove is that he still has the pace and the new MGP W01 is not a shabby car – a promising combination. For Schumacher, after three years on the sidelines, it was like a breath of fresh air.

“I felt totally comfortable and really had a feeling that everything was very natural,” Schumacher said after setting the third fastest time of the eight drivers on track. “It felt just like at the very beginning of my career in 1991 when on the first lap, I thought ’wow that was really fast’ and then on the second lap, I was just extremely excited. I feel like a young boy again and really enjoyed myself out there.”

Interlagos 2006 aside – the final years of Schumacher’s time with Ferrari didn’t look like it was a great deal of fun. However, having spent three seasons on the sidelines and having suffered the disappointment of being unable to race last year in place of Felipe Massa at Ferrari last year, Schumacher’s comments make it clear he’s back - and he and Mercedes intend to win.