Mick Schumacher could find it tough to remain in F1 if he does not start getting the better of his Haas teammate Kevin Magnussen going forward, according to the two-time World Rally champion, Walter Röhrl.
After his debut season in which he faced next to no competition from the now-ousted Nikita Mazepin, Schumacher has found it tough to measure up to Magnussen’s experience, both in F1 and with Haas.
Still pointless in F1 but not for the want of trying, the son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher has seen his Danish colleague score 15 points in the VF-22 the pair drive.
Schumacher has also been involved in two massive crashes in Saudi Arabia and Monaco. These incidents have left a sizeable dent in Haas F1’s budget for the season as well.
Speaking in an interview first carried by the German publication Bild am Sonntag and then corroborated by Motorsport-Magazin, Röhrl shared his thoughts on Mick Schumacher’s time at Haas against Kevin Magnussen. The 75-year-old said:
“That is currently bitter for Mick Schumacher, because Kevin Magnussen, who has returned to Formula 1 after a one-year break, has him well in hand. That puts additional pressure on him, brings explosiveness into the team and doesn’t make it any easier. He simply has far too many accidents at the moment, all of which cost a lot, a lot of money. If nothing comes, they won’t keep going indefinitely. Formula 1 is brutal and cold.”
The German veteran Röhrl, who has four wins in the Monte Carlo Rally, went on to add, saying:
“There is the expectation that he has to be the big star. It’s hard and heavy. It looks like he doesn’t have the outstanding talent that his father had. He drove at the front straight away. Whereas in the meantime, of course, times have changed and cars are becoming more and more important and people less and less important. It will be seen whether he can withstand the pressure and hold his own [against Magnussen] at some point.”
“Leave him alone for a bit” – Sebastian Vettel speaks up for Mick Schumacher after latter’s 2022 F1 Monaco GP crash
Four-time F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel has asked the media to leave Mick Schumacher alone after the Haas driver’s car-splitting crash during the 2022 F1 Monaco GP.
The 23-year-old emerged unscathed from his crash at the Swimming Pool Chicane, much to the relief of Vettel and everyone else in the F1 world. Following the race, the Aston Martin F1 driver said:
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“The most important thing is that he’s fine. I have no doubt that he can do more than he’s showing right now. But I think you have to leave him alone for a bit. It was actually a clean race without any incidents. And we got a point, which is not bad, because in Monaco it’s always difficult to work your way forward.”
Schumacher will be hoping to get his season back on track at the 2022 F1 Azerbaijan GP later this weekend.
