Mick Schumacher Ferrari
Mick Schumacher Ferrari
Michael Schumacher is arguably one of the greatest if not the greatest driver in Formula 1 history. A name that will forever be equated to titles and Formula 1 records. And a name as proven by Mick Schumacher, automatically gives you seat in an F1 team. But that is all that name will give you, as Formula 1 will always be an unforgiving sport where you have to prove your worth with the likes of Bruno Senna not lasting in the sport as long as his uncle Ayrton Senna.
And for Mick, while his second season in Formula is a huge step forward compared to last season, Guenther Steiner, Haas and Ferrari are wary if Mick is still worth his salt. So what does Mick’s future look like? Will he still be on the grid next season? Or will this be another Bruno Senna situation? Well, let’s talk about it then. But before we do, consider subscribing to the channel so you don’t miss out on our latest uploads. Now let’s get started shall we.
It is safe to say by now that Haas brought Mick into the team for both his potential after winning the Formula 2 World Championship, and the automatic publicity and endorsements that the Schumacher name can bring to the team. And a team like Haas whose pockets aren’t as deep as say Mercedes and Red Bull, it is understood that the team will take every chance to make a few extra dollars to keep the team afloat in such an expensive sport to be a part of.
But Mick would have team boss Guenther Steiner scratching his head more times than he had expected in Mick’s first season as he would cost the team a total of $4,212,500 in repairs last season. This would be the highest total on the grid and for a team lacking funding like Haas, this is obviously unacceptable. But many would argue that those were growing pains and that Mick didn’t have a proper veteran figure to learn from as he was paired with the great Nikita Mazepin last season *wink wink*.
But that wouldn’t be an excuse this season as the team brought back their former driver Kevin Magnussen to replace Nikita. And so far this season, Kevin has been outperforming Mick consistently totaling 22 points to Mick’s 12. And then again Mick has costed the team a ginormous amount compared to Kevin after 2 scary shunts that have totaled him and the team a whopping $3.72 million in repairs. These costly performances and the lack of points scored by Mick may be the last straw for Mick’s time at Haas at the very least as Mick would share that there has been growing tension between him and Steiner. In Mick’s words:
“Yes, there was tension, but that’s normal. We all want to score points and I think that’s part of the frustration and I understand that. And obviously places like Jeddah where the car was broken, is something quite expensive to us and therefore I do understand that, but it is also something that motivates us. And I wouldn’t say it tears us apart but it actually bonds us closer together and makes us try to score more points. “Everyone has their own personality and Guenther has his own unique style, Schumacher said. “There is hardly a filter between what he thinks and what he says. I had to adapt to that because I didn’t know that before. But maybe that pressure makes me perform better. And that pressure is positive anyway because if you ever come to fight for a championship, you have to deal with that pressure too.”
And it is no wonder that the building tension has lead the team to put talks about Mick’s future with the team on halt according to German broadcasters RTL and ntv have reported.
Haas can now rely on the time factor, knowing full well the US racing team is currently the only way for the German to secure his place in the driver’s field for the coming year said the German broadcasters”
In the meantime, Steiner would confirm that the team is taking their sweet time in figuring out what is the best way to deal with the situation amidst this “silly season” as the call as there drivers fighting for seats for next season. In Steiner’s words:
“I don’t really know what Mick has done, and we have not spoken about a drive for next year with Mick. He hasn’t spoken to us and we haven’t spoken to him – we want to see what’s happening. This Aston Martin thing happened very quickly and so nobody had time to really think about it, but there were rumours he [Schumacher] could replace Vettel, but that went away pretty quick. We didn’t look at what other people were doing.”
Now that we’ve confirmed that there is a growing rift between the team and Mick, let’s talk about where could the German driver end up if Haas decides that Mick isn’t part of their future. Well former F1 driver Hans-Joachim Stuck believes that Mick is worthy of a seat with a team that is higher than Haas. In his words:
“He has proven his skills this season. He belongs in a car that’s better than the Haas. If it doesn’t work out with another team for any reason, he just has to do it with Haas for another year. But if Mick can’t find another cockpit, I wouldn’t understand Haas putting on a circus there. Because they won’t get any better. I would be very surprised if Schumacher didn’t find a job anywhere. He shows impeccable performances, the people in charge can see that. He also has a great name. A team looking for a young driver can do no better than sign a Mick Schumacher.”
And while Mick’s succession of impressive performances just before the summer break is something take into account, it seems as though this hasn’t helped his cases in Ferrari’s driver academy as Mattia Binotto has been quoted saying that he is no longer convinced of Mick’s potential. Steiner would also comment on this saying:
“I don’t want to speak about our Ferrari deal because otherwise they get upset!” he joked. At the end of the day I don’t know the real deal between Ferrari and Mick — and I don’t need to know. If he decides to go somewhere else, I cannot change it. Only Gene and me are involved in that process.”
The only option left for Mick to explore should Haas and the Ferrari driver eco system turn the backs on him is to join another F1 development program such as Red Bull and Mercedes. And to everyone’s surprise, Red Bull’s head of driver development Helmut Marko has recently revealed that he always had an eye on the German driver saying:
“He has improved compared to last year. But he was always in the Ferrari program, so I never had him on my radar.”
And speaking of leaving, Steiner has also revealed another headache the team has to deal with as he has reported that at least 20% of the team’s staff has left the team saying:
“Some people left; I would say 20% more than normal turnover left. There was more than one reason, but for sure some people didn’t believe we would come back. It was mainly people who were not there for a long time – most of the people who were there for a long time, they stayed, because I think they believe in the team and they like this team and the atmosphere; what we are doing. Most of them. You can tell them, you can explain what we are going to go through, but I wouldn’t offer them money to stay if somebody doesn’t believe in it anymore.”
Speaking of money, Steiner would also once and for all clear up the rumours that the team is going bankrupt and that Gene Haas is considering pulling out as well saying:
“There was a lot of rumours from a lot of people, that Haas is for sale, that Haas is bankrupt. There was never an issue of being bankrupt, In 2020, Gene wanted to see what the new [2022] regulations [would] bring – mainly the financial regulations with the budget cap and the new money distribution. Once that was sorted, he was committed, and he is committed to the team. A lot of people want to buy into an F1 team, so there wouldn’t be a lack of interest to take it over. But Gene has no interest [in selling] at the moment. He wants to stick with the team.”
And there you have it guys, so what do you think? Is it time for Mick to leave the Ferrari orbit? If so has he done enough to earn a spot? Let us know in the comment section below and as always don’t forget to like and subscribe to the channel if you haven’t!
