The recent Netflix documentary about the life and career of Michael Schumacher has brought a few things into focus, including that of his son Mick. Mick appeared in the documentary and was interviewed about his father and how he wishes he could share his racing career with him after his father’s skiing accident in 2013. Mick is currently racing in Formula 1 with the Haas F1 team, and it has been a difficult season for the American team as they struggle with an underdeveloped car. For Mick, however, achieving F1 is something he really deserves.
As he rose through the ranks, many assumed that he would enter Formula One just because of his famous surname. The name Schumacher undoubtedly contributed to his career prospects, but Mick also had to do the work and he proved that with his appearances in FIA Formula 3 and most recently in Formula 2 and took home the championship in both categories. The latter came after a very impressive and consistent season in 2020. Despite this famous surname, Mick Schumacher deserved the fame of Formula 1, and hopefully sooner rather than later.
An outstanding junior career
via Sky Sports
The main reason Mick deserves his F1 chance is because of his junior career. In 2018 he was in European Formula 3 driving for the Prema team, and his main rival that year was Red Bull-backed Dan Ticktum. After a slow start for Schumacher, Ticktum led the championship, but in a sensational second half of the year, Schumacher approached the Briton and eventually won this year’s title. The German was promoted to Formula 2 for the 2019 season, where he would again compete for Prema. However, this would not be the most impressive season for Schumacher.
via Formula Scout
To do justice to Mick, however, the current Formula 2 car is not an easy machine, like the Pirelli tires, but he did win the sprint race in Hungary. In the 2020 season, however, he really showed what he can do. He became one of the top two title contenders when he competed against colleague Callum Illott at Ferrari Academy, and he took two race wins and a plethora of podiums on his way to winning the Formula 2 title that year. This impressive season earned him his racing seat at Haas in 2021.
The Ferrari Academy Links
via NDTV
We briefly mentioned the Ferrari Driver Academy. That’s because Mick is a member of that academy, so his career is in fact controlled by Ferrari. This is of course a very emotional affair, considering that his father had so much success with Ferrari from 1996 to 2006. It’s not hard to believe that Mick will one day drive one of the red cars. However, we do not know when that will be. Ferrari has Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in the red cars right now and they are both doing a great job. The hope will be that Schumacher can at least collect good points in a greatly improved Haas for 2022.
Outstanding mazepin
via Formula Scout
Schumacher’s current team-mate is Russian Nikita Mazepin. Mazepin showed great promise in Formula 2 and finished fifth overall in 2020 and was signed by Haas for 2021. However, this was mainly due to the money that his father, Dmitri, the Uralkali company, is producing. So much so that they became the team’s title sponsor. The biggest problem for Mazepin, however, is what happened in the winter of 2020/21 when he was seen fingering a woman’s chest and publicly uploading it to his Instagram page. The PR disaster that Haas caused, and the incident itself, were enough to fire the Russian, but he stuck to his place.
about Haas
On the track, Mazepin also showed how aggressive he wants to be and almost threw Mick into the wall a couple of times. However, Schumacher largely dwarfed his Russian teammate and outperformed him for most of the year. If Mick can only fight his teammate, beating him so solidly will certainly not hurt his career prospects. Ideally, Schumacher will have a car next year that can score solidly, and ideally he will then still be at the head of his Russian teammate, who has just been confirmed in the American team for 2022.
Where does Schumacher go from here?
via F1 Insider
The question of where Mick Schumacher is going from here is interesting. With Ferrari locked up and Alfa Romeo looking to sign Theo Pouchaire for 2023, it’s hard to see what will happen. It is now clear to everyone that Schumacher earned the right to a Formula 1 seat not only through his last name, but also through his achievements on the track. The last name itself is never a guarantee of success. Just look at how Bruno Senna only lasted a full season in Formula 1 with Williams in 2012. However, Mick deserves all the success that comes his way, and maybe one day Schumacher will be the winner of a Formula 1 race again.
Sources: Formula Scout, Sky Sports, NDTV, Formula Scout, Haas, F1 Insider, Planet F1
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Henry Kelsall
(1565 published articles)
From JDM cars to WWII machines. Has worked at HotCars since autumn 2018.
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