London: If the jury is still out on Michael Schumacher's Formula One comeback with Mercedes, then the next two weekends of racing in Spain and Monaco may make a verdict easier to reach.
The seven-times world champion, returning at the age of 41 and after three years in retirement, has been outqualified and beaten in the first four races of the season by young fellow German Nico Rosberg.
In Australia in March the former Ferrari ace struggled to get past Toro Rosso's 20-year-old Spaniard Jaime Alguersuari, who was racing at the Melbourne track for the first time, and ended up 10th.
After Schumacher retired in Malaysia and then just scraped a point in China with another 10th-place finish, some commentators were ready to write him off even if others refused to rush to judgement.
"People are going to say he's past it now, which he probably is," declared former great Stirling Moss, now in his 80s and convalescing after a fall down a lift shaft at home, after the last race in Shanghai.
Schumacher will be using a different chassis in Barcelona this weekend, the one he had in pre-season testing, and the car's wheelbase has been extended to allow for better weight distribution.
The German has probably put in more miles at the Spanish circuit than anywhere else over the years and won there six times, including four in a row from 2001 to 2004, during his golden years with Ferrari and Benetton. He has also won five times at Monaco, which follows immediately after Spain.
If he fails to shine there against his team mate, with a car tailored to his requirements, the questions will become even more pointed.
"After Monaco, we'll know how his form really is," Red Bull's Australian driver Mark Webber said.
"He'll feel a bit more at home at Barcelona and Monaco.
"They're the sort of places, particularly Monaco, where you just plug Michael in and off he goes.
"If he's not going to be doing that this year, you can say he might be having problems coming to grips with the car."
Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn, who was Schumacher's technical director at Ferrari when the German won five titles in a row and most of his 91 race victories, remains convinced that the car and tyres are the main problems.
"He's trying to find his references and is trying to work out how to approach things," the Briton said.
Are you disappointed by Schumacher's performance after his comeback? Do you think he will be able to win the upcoming race to stay competitive this season?