Mick Schumacher’s team boss Günther Steiner sees night and day in his German’s season at the Haas F1 team as both he and the Williams boss react to the performance from the son of Michael Schumacher in Brazil.
Mick Schumacher’s team boss Günther Steiner says Mick’s season at Haas has been both good and bad, and at the moment he almost feels sorry for the driver, whom he still hasn’t given a contract for 2023.
“We all know that Mick has had very good and very bad moments this year, it’s been up and down,” Steiner said on Saturday at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Schumacher had undoubtedly “gained in consistency,”
“At the beginning of the season it was very difficult, he had a new, strong team-mate in Kevin Magnussen, so this was his first real Formula 1. But he came out of it.”
Mick last as team mate takes pole
Friday in Sao Paulo was particularly bitter for Schumacher. While he took a disappointing last place in the turbulent qualifying session for Saturday night’s sprint, Magnussen sensationally drove to pole position in the underperforming car, the Dane’s first, and also the first for the Haas team.
“I almost felt sorry for Mick,” said Steiner, “his first runs in qualifying were really good. Then with the slicks he lost the temperature in the tyres, had less confidence in the car and it just didn’t work out.”
Schumacher must continue to fear for his regular place, veteran Nico Hülkenberg is set to take the second Haas cockpit for 2023. The racing team wants to make a statement if possible in the coming week before the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
‘Plan B’ for Schumacher could possibly conceivably be a replacement driver for one of the top teams, Mercedes or Red Bull; according to the trade magazine auto motor und sport, talks have already taken place.
Williams boss talks about Mick
The other ‘Plan B’ is to sneak into Williams but that depends if their first choice, Logan Sargeant, fails to take enough points in his F2 race this weekend.
At the moment, Sargeant has not yet collected enough points. In the final Formula 2 race weekend (next week in Abu Dhabi), Sargeant has to secure at least fifth place in the drivers’ standings. He is currently third.
Capito is optimistic and puts the probability of this happening at “98 per cent”. A lot of pressure on a young driver.
The most the Williams boss is willing to admit at this point is that “it’s hard to say how close we have been to signing Mick. Logan is part of our junior academy. He deserves the seat.”
It took a few years but the paddock finally realized that a name is no replacement for talent.
Damon Hill and Nico Rosberg won titles as did fathers.
Jacques Villeneuve won also, son of a legend.
Bruno Senna was a middling talent as is Mick Schumacher.
I’m bored to the core with this constant diatribe about Mick and not being given a fair chance. Would Ralf’s son, who is also a ‘Schumacher’ get the same support?
As to Audi signing him in 2026.. really? This isn’t WEC where you have teams of drivers who all drive for the mothership, it’s F1 where your two drivers have to be as close to the best as possible
Schumacher would do well to hang on at Williams. Perhaps even a change of fortune with a new team. Hard to say. He has improved the last few races, so perhaps that 3rd year really does the trick.
Ok so…
Everyone and their respective mothers harbored high hopes Mick would, eventually, mature into a driver that could win a title or three, but he didn’t.
Or perhaps, hasn’t, but his failures as a driver are, at least, partially due to the Haas team’s inability to provide a competitive vehicle.
We all noticed how George Russell excelled once he got into a Mercedes, just as we’ve lamented Bottas’ dropping from a steady stream of podia to
the bottom 3rd of the grid.
If Mick was that bad of a driver, he never would’ve been permitted near the paddock, much less the Haas pit. He was still one of 20 proven drivers who earned the privilege to drive the fastest cars in the world for the 2022 season. So he’s not Michael. Or Ralf. Put him in a Toro Rosso. Put him on a team that doesn’t blow more sponsorship deals than racing tyres.
I bet we see a very different Mick.