Former Ferrari mechanics cried after Mick Schumacher – Haas announcement. The Schumacher name is back on the F1 grid.

The Schumacher name is back on the F1 grid with Guenther Steiner revealing several Haas mechanics cried with joy when he announced Mick Schumacher’s signing.

Three decades after Michael Schumacher made his Formula 1 debut, the start of an unprecedented success story, his 21-year-old son Mick is entering the sport.

The 2020 Formula 2 Champ will race for Haas this season, placed at the renamed ‘Uralkali Haas F1 Team’ by his big bosses at Ferrari.

Never before has the spotlight shone so brightly on a rookie driver with fans around the world eager to see what the young Schumacher can do in Formula 1.

Even some of Haas’ mechanics have been overwhelmed by the German’s arrival.

“We have mechanics in our team, who have already worked with Michael at Ferrari,” Steiner told Sport Bild. “When they heard that Mick was joining us, they cried. There was a tremendous amount of joy. The emotions of the guys were simply insane. One of them hugged me so tightly that I briefly asked myself: what is happening to him right now?”

The team boss, though, acknowledges that 2021 won’t be an easy season for Haas and its young drivers. Mick Schumacher will partner another rookie in Nikita Mazepin with Haas expecting a steep learning curve for the two.

They most likely won’t be helped by Haas’ decision not to develop this year’s car, opting instead to focus all their efforts on preparing for the 2022 season.

Guenther Steiner added: “We face a year of learning with the drivers while technically we look ahead to the future. It’s no secret that the VF-21 will not be developed as we focus our energies now on the 2022 car and, what we hope, will be a more level-playing field. We all know roughly where we expect to be this season in terms of the competition, but we must ensure we’re there to capitalise on opportunities when they present themselves. But first we have to get the guys dialed in at testing. Time behind the wheel is short – so it’ll be a steep curve, but I’m personally looking forward to seeing their development as drivers and as team members within Uralkali Haas F1 Team.” – he concluded.