Michael Schumacher has officially returned to Formula One.

Ok, that may be old news for a lot of you considering that he did sign with Mercedes->ke187 GP a few months ago, but as far as we’re concerned, it’s not a done deal until Schumi gets on-board an F1 car for some real live action – even if it’s just testing.

Well, yesterday was the official first day of winter testing at the Valencia circuit in Spain and yes, he was there. After more than three years, Michael Schumacher is once again driving a Formula One car. As for his performance, given the fact that he’s coming off a three-year sabbatical from the sport, Schumi was more than impressive. After about 20 laps, he was already clocking in faster times than his teammate Nico Rosberg and of the entire field of drivers – there were eight running on the first day of testing – Schumi posted the third fastest overall time, half-a-second faster than Rosberg and just four-tenths of a second off of Felipe Massa’s time.

It’s going to take a little getting used to seeing Michael Schumacher drive a car that isn’t decked in red, but judging from his performance today, it probably wouldn’t matter. After three years out of the sport, we’re just ecstatic to see him back and if today is any indication, it’s looking like we might be able to see vintage Michael Schumacher once the 2010 F1 season begins.

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