Ferrari junior Mick Schumacher meets all requirements and is making good progress in his first Formula 1 season with Haas, says Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto.
Schumacher won the F2 championship last year, with Ferrari opting to promote its Driver Academy racer to F1 for this season with engine customer Haas.
But with Haas opting not to develop his challenger for 2021 so they can focus fully on 2022 when all-new F1 rules come into effect, proving his skills has been a challenge for the 22-year-old to deliver.
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There were difficult moments, like on-track collisions with teammate Nikita Mazepin and crashes in practice in Hungary, qualifying in Monaco and the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
But there were highlights too, including his maiden Q2 appearance with Paul Ricard and a fighting performance in Hungary – where he went wheel-to-wheel with Max Verstappen and George Russell – on his way to a career-best 12th place.
Hungarian Grand Prix 2021: Verstappen and Schumacher bang when overtaking
And after the first half of the season, Binotto declared himself “pleased” with the Ferrari junior’s performance – before urging him to keep pushing in the final 12 races of the year.
“Mick drove for Haas in his very first year in Formula 1. I think we said at the beginning of the season that the goal for him wasn’t pressure at first, but to make sure he was learning,” said Binotto. “That’s why 2021 must be an important learning year for him. And I think if we look at that goal, he’s doing well.
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“I think Mick has been fine since the start of the season, he’s learning, he’s making progress. A few mistakes, of course, but that’s part of the learning process. Overall, we can be satisfied with the balance sheet so far. It’s important for him to continue developing and moving forward in the second half. But I’m confident he can.”
Mick Schumacher’s 12th place finish in Hungary, where he fought well against Verstappen and Russell, was the best of his career so far
Ferrari showed impressive strength and depth in its junior rankings last year, with Callum Ilott second behind Schumacher in F2 and Robert Shwartzman fourth.
This year is less impressive, with Shwartzman her leading contender in third place, 17 points behind leader Oscar Piastri, while Marcus Armstrong is in 14th place.
“When I look at the junior drivers for the Ferrari Driver Academy, I think it’s not as good as last year in terms of results,” he said.
“Last year we had great results, especially in Formula 2, which is not the case [this year]. So overall we can’t be as happy as we were.”
