Mick Schumacher’s uncertain Formula 1 future remains a top topic in the paddock in Zandvoort – Sebastian Vettel takes a stand.
“Mick deserves a cockpit in Formula 1, he’s better than people think”, said Vettel on Thursday (September 1st, 2022) before the race weekend in Zandvoort, which culminates on Sunday (September 4th, 2022, live ticker at sportschau.de) with the Dutch Grand Prix. It would therefore surprise him if Schumacher lost his place in the premier class in 2023: “And I hope it doesn’t happen.”
“Would be a shame”
Schumacher has this season, his second in Formula 1, “not a good start” had, “Then you get judged quickly. But he got out of there and then had very strong races where his talent showed. He has more to offer so it would be a shame.”
Schumacher drives for the small Haas team and is part of the Ferrari junior academy, but both could change in the coming year. In principle, the 23-year-old also seems to have chances with other racing teams.
Ocon wants Schumacher on his team
Esteban Ocon, a regular driver at Alpine, reaffirmed that he would support his racing team to sign Schumacher – without having any influence on the decision.
Schumacher himself did not want to talk about contractual matters on Thursday, nor did he comment on the supposedly imminent departure from the Ferrari Academy. “I prefer to talk about such things behind the scenes”he said.
Team leader Steiner plays for time
Haas team boss Günther Steiner confirmed that no decision had been made. “Everything is open”he said, “And we’re in no hurry. Why should we make a hasty decision that we’ll regret later. I have to be clear: what’s the best solution for the team and for the future?”
In addition, team owner Gene Haas is in Zandvoort, he will then also travel to the next race in Monza. Discussions about the candidates would therefore take place in Zandvoort “begin but not end”.
Exhilarating home game for Max Verstappen
The world champion does not have to deal with such speculations. Max Verstappen is expecting an exciting weekend at his home game in Zandvoort, 100,000 fans are expected – and the sporting situation in Formula 1 is unlikely to change.
Verstappen has won the last three races, a total of nine this season. In the standings, the Dutchman is 89 points ahead of his teammate Sergio Perez and 98 over his “pursuer” Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari.
His superiority last weekend in Spa was particularly overwhelming. Verstappen started from 14th place and won by a large margin. But, says the world champion, “Here in Zandvoort a lot more contact pressure is needed, it will be more difficult to dominate here. Ferrari should be strong.” That sounds like a lot of understatement in a season in which the decision seems to have been made after 14 of 22 races.
Many records are still possible
The tenth win of the season is already beckoning in Zandvoort, the record is 13, held by Michael Schumacher (2004) and Sebastian Vettel (2013) – there is much to suggest that Verstappen will already reach this mark in autumn. Vettel also had the greatest lead as world champion so far (155 points/2013), and Verstappen is also heading for a new record here. It could be a record-breaking season that Formula 1 will look back on for a long time.