Schumacher fastest on F1 return!

 
Michael Schumacher came out of retirement today to set the fastest lap in testing for Ferrari at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya. The 38-year-old German, who has no intention of returning to Formula One racing after quitting at the end of 2006, will also test on Wednesday. Champions Ferrari have described the test as "half for pleasure, half for technical reasons". Formula One's rules are changing next year, with traction control and other so-called 'driver aids' being removed, and Schumacher can give useful input as a driver who has raced cars with and without the systems. Schumacher topped the unofficial timesheets, completing 64 laps in the F2007 car with a fastest lap of one minute 21.922 seconds. The circuit Web site (www.circuitcat.com) said 3,000 spectators attended the session. The first test session since the end of the season last month was also Schumacher's first serious outing in a Formula One car since the Brazilian Grand Prix of October 2006. "It looks as though he's got talent. He will make his way to F1," quipped Red Bull's David Coulthard, at 36 the oldest active driver in Formula One, at the reappearance of his rival. Ferrari's regular test driver Luca Badoer was second fastest, in 1:22.129, with McLaren's Spanish test driver Pedro de la Rosa third in 1:22.687. Briton Gary Paffett also tested for McLaren, who have yet to name a replacement for departed double world champion Fernando Alonso. Quadruple Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais of France made his test debut as an offical Toro Rosso driver while other teams tried out a variety of new faces. Red Bull had promising young Indian Karun Chandhok, a race winner in the GP2 support series this year, testing their Renault-powered car. He completed 39 laps and was 18th out of the 20 drivers present. Force India, formerly Spyker, tested with Dutchman Giedo van der Garde and Spaniard Roldan Rodriguez propping up the timesheets in 19th and 20th places respectively.