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Buddh circuit will suit Mercedes, says Schumacher

Michael Schumacher is looking forward to driving the Buddh circuit © Getty Images

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• Race:
• Indian Grand Prix

• Championship:
• FIA Formula One World Championship

• Drivers:
• Michael Schumacher

• Teams:
• Mercedes

Michael Schumacher believes that his Mercedes team are capable of a strong points finish at this weekend's inaugural Indian Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit.

Schumacher has enjoyed an upturn in fortune over recent races with strong points finishes in Belgium, Italy and Japan. And from his early impressions of the Buddh circuit, the seven-time world champion thinks he can improve even further.

"I guess it is more to do with the nature of the tracks that one suits us more than others and therefore we might have a chance going even further forward than just being seventh and eighth," said Schumacher on Thursday. "This track honestly probably plays a little bit into our hands. Qualifying is usually difficult but then the race we have been stronger recently."

Although Schumacher is yet to drive the circuit in anger, he thinks the race organisers have done a good job and anticipates the mixture of wide entries and high and low speed corners to make for exciting racing.

"I think they have done a very nice job here and it looks very interesting. I have just seen the safety car running around and noticed the elevation change, some blind spots so quite a challenge for us with some high and low speed corners and good overtaking. So a good mixture of what we like to enjoy ourselves on and I look forward to driving the car for the real feeling.

"It is a new philosophy with the overtaking with getting the circuit very wide at the entry because we have the one line defend mechanism so if you go that far certainly the other guy choosing the outside line can take a god run at you at the end of the straight. So it offers good tactical perspectives for overtaking, having a good show and hopefully making the Indian fans enjoy Formula One this weekend."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.