Team principal Ross Brawn believes that the Mercedes GP team have got close to the front running pace by the end of pre-season testing, despite beginning the 2010 testing schedule lagging some way behind it's expected rivals.
Brawn admits that the team is still "a little bit off" the front of the grid, and will struggle to match the stratospheric start to the seasn they made last year as Brawn GP, but insists that the gap has closed between them and the pacesetting Ferrari team.
"I think we're close enough to have a go, but we're not enjoying the situation we had last year. I don't think anybody is," Brawn shrugged at the conclusion of the pre-season testing schedule in Barcelona.
"At the beginning of testing it looked like Ferrari were dominant, and now you'd have to say that the teams are all pretty close based on this test."
He added that the team will hopefully get a boost from the new performance parts that will be added to the W01 car in Bahrain. These will include the team's definitive 2010 diffuser.
"We’re just a little bit off where we want to be, but I think we're close enough to be within reach," Brawn mused, "We have a new package for Bahrain and I hope that's going to make the difference."
Meanwhile, returning seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher believes that the form team in Bahrain might actually be McLaren, after Lewis Hamilton set the fastest overall time of the Barcelona test on Sunday.
"They looked very strong today, no doubt," Schumacher said at the end of a day when the times were very close, with less than half a second covering the top eight.
"But then it depends on who is going to bring what to Bahrain. It's something we'll have to wait for to find out.
"We have some improvement [for Bahrain], but is it much or is it not compared with what the others may or may not do? It's a puzzle that's difficult to read."
He added that he had enjoyed a mini on-track battle with Hamilton during the Sunday running.
"It was fun," the German grinned, "It was interesting to see whether overtaking was possible. Obviously it was not possible as we were in different stages of our runs and tyres. At one point I felt there was no point because I was harming my own situation a little bit.
"I basically gave way and basically let him do what he wanted to do and I could continue with what I wanted to do."
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