Although happy with his improved showing in qualifying, Michael Schumacher admits the job is not yet over at Mercedes.
Armed with his controversy rear-wing design, Schumacher had a difficult start to the day as, despite showing pace, he beached his W03 six minutes before the end of FP3 after sliding off the track.
The German, though, put that behind him to focus on qualifying where he put in a 1:25.336 around the Albert Park street circuit.
That put the seven-time World Champion fourth on the grid, ahead of both Red Bull drivers and his own Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg.
"The first qualifying session of the year proved to be as tight a competition as we had all hoped for," said Schumacher.
"I am certainly happy with our performance which is a huge step forward, considering where we were in qualifying here last year.
"I can only thank the guys for all of the hard work that they have achieved over the winter.
"I also think it is important to stress that Mercedes-Benz have always believed in and supported this project, and I really hope we can deliver the results we all want.
"We have to take this step-by-step as the competition is very tight, so now we have to continue to work hard."
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