The Schumacher trait that will give Haas hope in F1 2022

Bearing Formula 1’s most famous surname always meant that Mick Schumacher would struggle to go under the radar through his rookie season in 2021. Racing for the backmarker Haas squad, which opted against any development of its car so it could focus on the new regulations for 2022, Schumacher was able to get to grips with life in F1 with fairly low stakes.

Haas failed to score any points and, while Schumacher didn’t put in the kind of stunning campaign for a minnow squad a la Fernando Alonso at Minardi in 2001 or George Russell at Williams in 2019, there were plenty of encouraging signs. Schumacher outclassed fellow Formula 2 graduate Nikita Mazepin across the garage, winning their qualifying head-to-head 20-2 and only finishing behind the Russian in the race on three occasions. But it nevertheless required a shift in mentality for Schumacher, who stepped up as F2 champion.

“For people that know and understand the sport, they’ll see what I do,” he says. “But for people that are maybe not as into it, they’ll just see me driving in the back and they’ll wonder why, because they’ve seen me winning championships before. So it’s a bit of a different approach.”

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Dealing with two rookies was new territory for Haas and its F1 boss, Gunther Steiner, given that the team had previously fielded drivers with grand prix pedigree. “It has been an experience, I can tell you that!” Steiner jokes, having seen Schumacher and Mazepin have their fair share of rookie crashes, as well as sparring over team orders and almost colliding on-track a couple of times.

Yet come the end of the season, Haas found itself within spitting distance of lower-midfield rivals Williams and Alfa Romeo. Schumacher qualified within two tenths of a second of an Alfa Romeo in both Qatar and Abu Dhabi, and was even less than a tenth off Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll in qualifying for the Saudi Arabia race around a 3.8-mile lap. It was a progression that Steiner “could not believe” – “I don’t get it with a car that’s almost two years old.”

Schumacher ended his first F1 season on good form, closing the gap to the Williams drivers and often splitting them

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

The impact of Schumacher’s progression in cutting this gap was clear to Steiner: “You can see it race by race, he’s more comfortable with the surroundings. He’s just growing and maturing in all areas. When it comes to how he conducts the weekend, he’s much more relaxed. A lot of things are automatic, he doesn’t have to think about simple things. He can focus on getting the last bit out of it, and that normally makes you faster.”

Schumacher agrees with Steiner’s assessment, explaining how his comfort has grown and given him more confidence on-track.

“I know what I have to do, I know what I can do and what not to do,” he says. “And I know that I’m allowed to put out elbows, even if it’s Sebastian [Vettel] coming by! So yeah, there’s definitely a lot of mentality that has changed during this season.”

In Formula 3 and Formula 2, he made huge steps in his second season, going from a midfield runner to becoming championship winner in both categories. To expect a similar step with Haas would naturally be too much of an ask, yet it points to his ability to learn and develop that has carried over to F1

Schumacher’s progression towards the end of his rookie season was not only noticed within Haas. Ferrari was so impressed by what it had seen that it named Schumacher as its reserve driver for 11 of this year’s 23 races, sharing the role with Antonio Giovinazzi. Should anything prevent Charles Leclerc or Carlos Sainz Jr from racing this year, it is possible that a Schumacher would race for Ferrari in F1 once again.

“I think Mick through the season did well,” says Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto. “He improved himself, not only in terms of consistency, but also in terms of speed. If I look at the last races, he was a lot closer to the cars ahead, while Haas didn’t really develop the car at all. So the fact that he was closer proved that he had a good improvement on the speed itself.”

Vettel has been a key figure in aiding Schumacher’s career, having benefited from Michael’s guidance when he first entered F1. He’s also full of praise for the job Mick has done.

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“He did an incredible job with such a poor car to reach Q2 a couple of times, to have strong showings in the race, fight some of the cars that are much faster, or stick with the cars that are supposed to be much faster,” Vettel explained. “That’s a great effort, and even more so, I think it’s been a huge lift for the entire team.”

Schumacher's progress caught the eye of many in the paddock, including Binotto and compatriot Vettel

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

This kind of progress from Schumacher is nothing new. In Formula 3 and Formula 2, he made huge steps in his second season, going from a midfield runner to becoming championship winner in both categories. To expect a similar step with Haas would naturally be too much of an ask, yet it points to his ability to learn and develop that has carried over to F1.

It’s little wonder that Schumacher is therefore excited to get back in action this season, hopefully armed with a car capable of fighting for points on a regular basis.

“The car looks to be very positive, from what I see and hear,” he says. “So I have great expectations. Hopefully they’ll meet my expectations on-track.”

Schumacher is eagerly anticipating a step forward from Haas in 2022

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images