Michael Schumacher says he and Mercedes are heading to the European Grand Prix in an optimistic mood, despite a disappointing outing in Canada last weekend.
The team had been suggested as one of the favorites for victory in Montreal, but it did not manage to unlock its full potential, and Schumacher's race ended with a rare DRS failure that left his wing flap open. The team has worked hard since the event to get to the bottom of why Schumacher has suffered such horrendous reliability this season, and the seven-time champion is upbeat that progress has been made.
"Our entire focus is now on the race in Valencia, and I am sure that everybody's motivation is even stronger because the weekend in Canada didn't go as well as we had hoped," explained Schumacher. "Our motto in the last few days has been to roll our sleeves up and focus on the job in hand; everybody in the team has taken that approach to heart, so we can travel to Valencia in an optimistic mood."
Team principal Ross Brawn said that achieving zero tolerance to reliability issues was a priority, and that he was upbeat about the potential of the team for Valencia.
"The performance of our car and our tire management were generally good in Canada. However, our competitiveness was compromised by reliability problems and mistakes," he said. "This is a disappointment that is deeply felt by everyone in our team. We have been working hard to ensure we understand the reasons and deal with them. Achieving zero-defect reliability is our highest priority. The opportunities available if we can give both drivers a reliable car and a clean weekend are clear."