If Timo Glock has his way, Mick Schumacher definitely deserves to continue his Formula 1 career in 2023. “I found the qualifying result in Zandvoort pretty impressive,” says today’s ‘Sky’ expert in the Formula 1 podcast ‘Beyond the Grid’. “Despite the pressure he’s under at the moment, he delivered over the weekend.”
“Since he got his first points he’s been delivering, he’s getting points and he’s got the pace. And he’s showing progress. That’s the important thing. It seems like he never stands still. There’s no standing still with him. He always will better. It’s his second year in Formula 1. It’s impressive to see how he’s dealing with the pressure and how he’s getting better.”
Mick is only now learning a lot more about Formula 1
We know from the junior series that Schumacher is not a high-flyer. It also took him more than a year in Formula 3 and Formula 2 before he started winning. But once he found his bearings, there was no stopping him.
In 2021, Schumacher drove for Haas, then the worst team in Formula 1, alongside another rookie, Nikita Masepin. Now he has a much more experienced teammate in Kevin Magnussen. And a more competitive car.
Glock believes that the 23-year-old only really started learning about Formula 1 in 2022: “You learn a lot more when you have a competitive car and can drive with the others. If your highlight is when you’re there can drive in Q2, you don’t learn what real racing in Formula 1 means.”
Duels against Verstappen worth their weight in gold for Schumacher
“You learn that when, like him now, you have a competitive car and can fight for points. When you fight Max Verstappen, like at Silverstone. In duels like this, you learn how to improve. If you’re just at the back driving around, you don’t learn anything new,” explains the former Formula 1 driver.
Glock has known the family for many years and also had a good relationship with Mick’s father Michael. He says: “I still remember a kart race when Mick asked me if I could come with him to the European Championships in Kristianstad.” At the time, Schumacher drove under his mother’s maiden name, Mick Betsch, almost “undercover”.
“I had never seen him go karting before,” says Glock. “He drove out of the pits, I went to the grandstand. 30 go-karts came towards me. And I knew immediately where Mick is! Of course I knew his helmet. But the way he was in this go- Kart sat…”
“Had he had a red helmet I would have taken him for Michael! His seating position, his movements, how he handled the kart and watching the other drivers as he drove through the field – that was 1-1 with Michael. Just with a yellow helmet,” says Glock.