Ferrari junior Mick Schumacher has confirmed that he would be ready to step in at the Maranello team “and show them what I’ve got” if case the Italian side would decide to give him this opportunity in the future. The German driver continuing to gain experience in Formula 1, in his second season alongside Haas, as Mick is also part of the Ferrari Driver Academy, with the Maranello team monitoring his improvement.
Ahead of the start of the 2022 Formula 1 championship, Mick Schumacher received some additional responsibilities at Scuderia Ferrari, and is one of the reserve drivers this year, which means that he could be called up to replace Charles Leclerc or Carlos Sainz if they would not be able to take part in a race.
In a recent interview for the media, the Ferrari Driver Academy member was asked whether he would feel ready to jump in, in case such a great opportunity arise: “Yeah, yeah,” replied the 23-year-old, before strengthening his case – “I mean, our cars are not the same, but are similar. I’ve grown up with Ferrari basically since 2019 and I feel like I understand the whole procedure. I’d be more than happy to step in and show them what I’ve got.” – he added.
Mick Schumacher’s recent statements come after a strong improvement in the last few races, including his maiden Formula 1 points finish at the Silverstone circuit in the the British Grand Prix last month. The Haas driver finished in P8 at Silverstone (where he was involved in a great battle against the Red Bull of Max Verstappen), and then secured a solid sixth place finish in Austria (following a scrap with seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton).
“I think Formula 1 is always pressure, right?. You’re only as good as your last race, so at the moment, I’m happy (speaking at the French Grand Prix, after his back-to-back points finishes). But also, I understand that there’s no time for us to kind of lean back in any way. It’s always [about] trying to find the next bit of performance and we’re still trying everything we can to make our car quicker, if it’s on the set-up side or if it’s on the operational side. The focus is very much still on trying to improve and to become better, and to achieve [even] greater positions.” – the German driver explained, ahead of the summer break.
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Mick Schumacher was also asked about his relationship with Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner, whose direct approach seems to have helped his development: “Everybody is their own human and is their own person and Guenther has a very unique style of doing things. At the end [of the day], it’s again that thing of pressure and sometimes – maybe, I don’t know – I perform better under pressure than if I don’t have the pressure. It’s something which is actually quite positive, because if you’re in the championship fight you have pressure.” – he added.
But is Guenther Steiner indeed as straightforward when talking to Mick as he is in front of the microphones? The German driver explained: “I would say so. He’s probably one of the people that has very little filter on and speaks out their minds. It’s always something you have to adapt to. I haven’t had that before, so it’s something new to me, and I had to learn how to deal with it – I feel like I’m doing that.” – Mick concluded.
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