• 2010 season

Schumacher expects big four to dominate

Michael Schumacher waits in the pit on the final day of testing in Jerez © Sutton Images

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• News:
• Vettel agrees big four are on top
  
• News:
• Hamilton tops the tables
  

• Drivers:
• Michael Schumacher

• Teams:
• Mercedes

Seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher has seen enough already to convince him the four teams expected to dominate this season - Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull - will do just that. Where he is less certain is which one will come out on top.

Schumacher tested on two of the four days available in Jerez, finishing with the eighth-fastest time after completing 207 laps. But he warned that it was too early to read too much into the times.

"It's very tough for all of us to understand what is the order of teams," he said. "We have four, and the others look very interesting, such as Sauber - the car is quite quick - and the Renault … there is a question mark how quick it is.

"The good teams sort of stay all in the same window. But we are not able to be precise because you can play so much with the fuel load, and even with the ballast if you want to. So there's a lot of speculation going on, even for us. But it's very interesting."

Schumacher was quietly assured about his own performance, saying that Mercedes "had a good day" despite problems with the weather. "We completed everything that we wanted and were able to increase our understanding of the car a step further so overall it's been positive."

"This week has enabled us to increase our understanding of both the car and the tyres," Ross Brawn added. "Our focus for the final two tests will be to continue to develop the performance of the MGP W01 and ensure the team and our drivers are fully prepared for the first race."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.