He may have wanted to return to the pinnacle of Motorsports in a blaze of glory, winning his first race back, or at least dominating his much young and less experienced teammate, but instead seven time world champion Michael Schumacher was forced to settle for a sixth placed finish, one place behind Nico Rosberg.

While most of his fans realize that with so little testing available pre season, it may take a few races before their idol is fully back up to speed, however there have been a few that have hinted that there may be a possibility that the German super star is not coping with the new narrower front tyres on offer from Bridgestone.

Mercedes CEO Nick Fry has since rubbished these concerns, stating that the feedback from both drivers was much of a muchness and they both know what they need to do to improve the situation...

"Listening to the discussions that are going on within the team, I don't actually detect any great difference in feedback between him and Nico. I think they both know what they want to do to improve the car, and I think they are consistent in their views. There is nothing I have heard that is particular to Michael. But the encouraging thing is that they have got a to do list," he told Autosport.