Schumacher: 'Fun' experience made working with teams easy

©AlfaRomeo

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Mick Schumacher says he'll take away "beautiful memories" of his maiden runs in F1, the young German admitting that his two days of testing with Ferrari and Alfa Romeo involved more fun than work.

Schumacher racked up a combined 126 laps with the two teams in Bahrain, clocking with the second best time on Tuesday with the Scuderia and the sixth fastest lap on Wednesday with sister outfit Alfa Romeo.

The 20-year-old put in the miles without any mistakes and collected precious knowledge for the future.

Schumacher says Ferrari 'feels like home already'

Asked if he expected to perform as well as he did, Schumacher confessed to have been surprised by his times with both teams.

"To be honest, no," replied the Ferrari junior.

"But I guess that I had so much fun that it was easy to work on myself and work with the team. Both teams were very open and very good in teaching me all the points that I had to know.

"Over the whole day, I was able to improve and find the limit. You always feel a bit different, but in general, I was very happy in both teams.

"It’s hard to compare the two days. The cars in front were very quick, but I think we did a decent job and we can be happy with that."

After an emotional but productive first day behind the wheel with the Scuderia, Schumacher put his fresh knowledge to good use on Wednesday with Alfa Romeo.

"After the first experience I had yesterday I tried to implement what I learned into today’s laps, and I am happy about how it worked," he said.

"It has been very nice working with the team at Alfa Romeo Racing, gaining confidence with the car and improving steadily.

"I will definitely fly back with some very beautiful memories and am looking forward to getting myself back into the preparations for the next F2 race in Baku.

"It’s going to be the first time for me. I’m going to do a lot of work with Prema in the sim, and prepare for that."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.