Brawn: Close but not in the lead

Ross Brawn reckons his Mercedes GP team is close to the front of the pack - but not at the front.

Having sold a majority stake in his 2009 Championship-winning team to Mercedes GP in the off-season, the rebranded Merc GP team got down to business earlier this month for the start of pre-season testing.

After 15 intense days of action, the work came to an end at Barcelona on Sunday with his drivers Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher eighth and ninth overall when all the times for the entire four days are taken into account.

"I think we're close enough to have a go, but we're not enjoying the situation we had last year. I don't think anybody is," was Brawn's assessment.

"At the beginning of testing it looked like Ferrari were dominant, and now you'd have to say that the teams are all pretty close based on this test."

The team boss, though, is confident that upgrades that will be introduced for the Bahrain GP will move Rosberg and Schumacher closer to the front.

"We're just a little bit off where we want to be, but I think we're close enough to be within reach," he said. "We have a new package for Bahrain and I hope that's going to make the difference."

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