Sakhir (dpa) – According to his uncle Ralf Schumacher, Mick Schumacher’s future planning is not “that easy”.
In an interview with the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” (the 46-year-old former Formula 1 driver explained: “For Mick, the main question will be: How good is his car, where can he recommend himself? At Ferrari, I don’t know whether there will be a vacancy there next year. Ferrari no longer has access to Alfa Romeo at the moment.”
The second season in Formula 1
This year, Mick Schumacher will be contesting his second season in the top motorsport class. As in 2021, he will again drive for the American Haas team, which works with Ferrari. The 22-year-old son of record champion Michael Schumacher also belongs to the Ferrari junior academy, he is also a reserve driver for the Scuderia, with which his father once won five of his seventh world titles.
“If Mick somehow finishes in the top ten, that would be fantastic,” said Ralf Schumacher. “Some say the Ferrari engine was suddenly one of the strongest. I doubt that. But it was clear that it would improve given how weak it was before.” The opening event next weekend with the Bahrain Grand Prix in the Sakhir desert will provide initial clarity about the balance of power.
New teammate as a benchmark
Mick Schumacher will then also have to compete with his new teammate Kevin Magnussen. The now 29-year-old Dane drove for Haas from 2017 to 2019, and he now made a surprising comeback. The reason is the end of cooperation with the Russian main sponsor of the Haas team and with the Russian pilot Nikita Masepin because of the war in Ukraine due to the Russian invasion.
“In Kevin Magnussen he has a new team-mate who many will say: Well, he definitely has to put that in his pocket. However, Magnussen is very experienced,” emphasized Ralf Schumacher: “It will all be very exciting in general.”