London, Mar 2 (ANI): Seven times Formula One champion Michael Schumacher believes Lewis Hamilton poses a threat to his dream of making a title-winning comeback.

Schumacher saw Hamilton’s McLaren blow his rivals away in final testing in Barcelona.

The new season gets underway in Bahrain on Sunday, but Schumacher warned his Mercedes GP outfit will be quicker by then.

“McLaren looked very strong, no doubt. But then it depends on who is going to bring what to Bahrain. We have some improvement for Bahrain but is it much or is it not compared with what the others may or may not do? It’s a puzzle that’s difficult to read,” The Sun quoted Schumacher, as saying.

Schumacher was ninth quickest of the 23 drivers who took part in the four-day test, but was less than 0.3sec off the pace set by 2008 world champ Hamilton.

But Hamilton did not buy Schumacher’s assessment that McLaren is in pole position on the eve of the new campaign.

“We’re not in the strongest position. We’re in a strong position, just as Schumacher’s team are. The times I did were very competitive, so that was a big boost of confidence for me. Still, Mercedes was very competitive over its long runs and so was the Ferrari.

“I’m sure other people will come with updates for the first race, so we’re pushing hard to find some more time.”

Reigning champion Button sees as many as seven teams with a realistic hope of the title.

He said: “You’ve got us, Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull, but you’ve also got Sauber, Force India are not far behind, and the Williams. So it’s very, very competitive.” (ANI)