Published: Tuesday February 1, 2011 MYT 9:00:00 PM

VALENCIA, Spain (AP): Michael Schumacher's hopes of turning around his return to Formula One began Tuesday in testing the new Mercedes car.

The 42-year-old Schumacher, a seven-time F1 champion, and teammate Nico Rosberg were scheduled to drive at the Cheste Circuit. Both Schumacher and Mercedes are looking to rebound from a disappointing 2010 season.

Schumacher was ninth in the drivers' standings while Mercedes never really challenged champion Red Bull or closest rivals Ferrari and McLaren.

Still, Schumacher was optimistic that the slick, high-gloss graphite livery he unveiled alongside Rosberg and team principal Ross Brawn was innovative enough to make the German team a contender this year.

"Finally the waiting is over and things get started," Schumacher said. "We have said it several times already but again, we are really to building up something big together. I am very confident that this season we will be standing on the podium much more regularly - ideally in the middle."

Schumacher came out of a three-year retirement to compete in 2010. But the former Brawn GP team's inability to match the front-runners soured the seven-time champion's return.

Mercedes took less than half as many points as constructors' champion Red Bull, and Rosberg had nearly double as many points as Schumacher by the end of the season. Rosberg also managed three podiums and Schumacher none.

Brawn said the MGP W02 featured "a raft of technical innovations and changes" that make it "almost unrecognisable" from its predecessor.

"After our first year as the Mercedes-Benz works team, we are now seeing the benefits of our chassis group and our engine group working well together," Brawn said.

"We want to be setting the standard right from the start but if we are not, we will respond very strongly to get ourselves into the game. Everyone is excitedly waiting to see what the new season will reveal."

Following the three-day session in Valencia, there are three further tests before the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on March 13.

Tuesday's test comes after questions over Schumacher's ability to be competitive emerged after the German driver became sick from the team's car simulator.

World champion Sebastian Vettel said he'd been sick once in the simulator, too.

"I think it's an important tool these days with testing more limited," the 23-year-old Vettel said. "But you never get the smell, taste and the sensation of speed."