May 8 (GMM) Red Bull's qualifying pace in Barcelona was "formidable" and "frightening", according to leading members of the Mercedes team.

Michael Schumacher on Saturday was happy to have outqualified a teammate for the first time since 2006, but he also admitted to being humbled by the 1.3 second gap to pole position.

"You have to say that the gap to the front is extra large, even frightening," he is quoted by German media.

Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn described the pace of the RB6 in Spain as "formidable".

The long and fast corners at Barcelona always particularly reward the cars with the best aerodynamics.

"I think simply their car is perfect on this track. If they had the same cars from China here, I think it would look not too different," said Schumacher.

Norbert Haug, however, acknowledged that while Mercedes may have taken a step forward in Spain, "perhaps others have improved even more".

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