Over the span of two months, Mick Schumacher’s career has unexpectedly become uphill. Until the eve of the Barcelona tests, the initial act of 2022, the Haas driver was preparing to start his second season in Formula 1, alongside Nikita Mazepin, and in his heart he had some hopes that he would be considered a candidate in Maranello. join Charles Leclerc in 2023.
Then things changed quickly, first with the arrival of Kevin Magnussen and then with the confirmation of Carlos Sainz until the end of the 2024 season.
Mick Schumacher, Haas F1 Team
Photo by: Jerry Andre / Motorsport Images
The bad news continued with the start of the season. Magnussen immediately made it clear that Mazepin was no longer in the box next door, taking fifth place in the Bahrain Grand Prix and confirming himself in the top-10 in two other races.
The Dane has 15 points to his credit and is the loot that currently allows Haas to precede Aston Martin and Williams in the Constructors’ classification. No points have yet arrived from Schumacher and at the moment Mick is (together with Latifi) the only driver at the start of the season who has not yet finished a race in the top-10.
In the Haas garage there has never been too much politics, and in fact Gunther Steiner did not hide when asked what he expects from Schumacher.
Mick Schumacher’s Haas VF-22 after the Jeddah crash
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
The team principal wants a step forward, a step forward that has not been seen so far, and is an essential requirement to consider Mick’s presence in the team again next year.
In the space of two months, the scenario that Schumacher faces has drastically changed: he cannot hope for a future in Ferrari (at least not until 2025) and the seat in Haas for next season is far from confirmed.
In this context there are also errors and smudges that characterized his start of the season, empty jokes that are not a good calling card for a driver who must try to clarify his future.
Mick Schumacher, Haas VF-22
Photo by: Jerry Andre / Motorsport Images
Schumacher is still master of his destiny, eleven Grands Prix are scheduled from next weekend until the end of September, all potential opportunities to prove himself up to the task and convince Gene Haas that he is on the right track. If not, there may be alternatives for Mick, but within a complex scenario.
Schumacher joined Ferrari (through the Driver Academy) on January 19, 2019, to coincide with his first season in Formula 2, and to continue his relationship with Maranello it is realistic to think that he should remain tied to a motorized team with the power unit. of the Cavallino.
With the exception of Haas, Alfa Romeo remains, which however already has Guanyu Zhou candidate for renewal and Théo Pourchaire ready on the launch pad should the Chinese driver not be confirmed.
To evaluate other solutions, Schumacher would have to free himself from the Scuderia, a choice that would not automatically open other doors for him. Not an easy step, which greatly complicates planning for the future and puts pressure on Schumacher in view of the next races.
If the track promotes it, all doubts will vanish, vice versa every scenario is possible, even the possibility of having to spend the 2023 season on the bench or in other contexts.
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