Michael Schumacher: I love the challenge, not being easy makes it fun

Going into a new Formula One season is always special. Last year I was full of enthusiasm but did not really know what to expect from the cars, the other drivers and the races. It was clear after a long time outside the paddock that the sport famous for constant changes had changed massively. This year I am no less excited but know much better what to expect. You have to fight for the things you want to achieve, this has always been my credo. Mercedes, the whole team, me – we are working together to build something big. Not being an easy process just makes the challenge even more exciting. None of us are the type of guys who just give up when faced with setbacks. The opposite is the case and it makes us even more determined. I think I have proved over many years that I love challenges and that I am able to handle them. I have not regretted my decision to come back at all and I am very confident that we have improved our car a lot in all the areas that needed improvements. Of course, saying this, I am aware that all the other teams have improved too and that the gap to the top has sometimes seemed a large one but I believe that this season we can be standing on podiums and fighting for victories. Competing for the world championship is still our goal and, being who we are, it can only be like this. But this is a three-year project and of course it would be nice if it worked out sooner but we are talking about competing at the absolute peak of motor sport. You cannot just come along to Formula One, put a new team together and expect to beat everybody else but we are working very hard to achieve our aims.