( CNN ) -- Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher made an impressive return to Formula One in the first day of official testing for 2010 in Spain on Monday -- but was upstaged by another driver making his comeback , Ferrari 's Felipe Massa . Schumacher , who has ended a three-year retirement to drive for Ross Brawn 's new Mercedes team , was third quickest behind Massa and BMW Sauber 's new signing Pedro De La Rosa . The 41-year-old German took over from Nico Rosberg with about an hour and a half of the Valencia session remaining , and ended up posting a time more than a second faster than his younger teammate . `` It was a perfect rollout for the new car today . I felt totally comfortable and really had a feeling that everything was very natural , '' Schumacher told his official Web site . `` It felt just like at the very beginning of my career in 1991 when on the first lap , I thought wow that was really fast , and then on the second lap , I was extremely excited . I feel just like a young boy again and really enjoyed myself . `` We did a good job today , making a few control checks , and the most important thing was that the car ran reliably . With Nico and I covering 79 laps today , it was a superb job by the team . '' Rosberg , who drove for Williams last year before Mercedes took over world champions Brawn and signed the German , completed 39 laps and Schumacher was on the track for 40 , according to Web site autosport.com . `` For me , to have him here is a great thing , fantastic , '' Rosberg told reporters about his alliance with Schumacher . `` It has given me a little bit of extra motivation . `` My relationship with him is very good . I get on well with him . We respect each other and I think we will be great teammates . There will be a few things I 'll be able to pick up from him as he is one of the best that has ever driven . '' Massa was back behind the wheel of a Formula One car in a public session for the first time since his accident in Hungary in July , which left him needing life-saving skull surgery . The Brazilian clocked an unofficial fastest time of one minute and 12.574 seconds as he completed 102 laps , autosport.com reported , with veteran Spaniard De La Rosa posting 1:12.784 . Schumacher 's 1:12.947 put him well ahead of Rosberg , who was fourth best on 1:13.543 . McLaren test driver Gary Paffett was fifth fastest , but his team 's official race entries for this year -- world champion Jenson Button and his predecessor Lewis Hamilton -- sat out the session . Hamilton will drive on Tuesday , and Button is scheduled to take the wheel on Wednesday . The other drivers to take part were Button 's former Brawn teammate Rubens Barrichello in a Williams , Toro Rosso 's Sebastien Buemi and Renault 's new signing Robert Kubica .
Lewis Hamilton makes impressive return to F1 in first day of official testing for 2010 . Seven -time world champion is third fastest in Spain , racing 40 laps for McLaren . McLaren 's Felipe Massa , making his comeback after 2010 out , is quickest in Valencia . World champion Jenson Button and Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton sit out session .