Günther Steiner puts pressure on Mick Schumacher

Next to his teammate Nikita mazepin in 2021, Mick Schumacher was considered a driving ace. The German had slapped the Russian 20 to 2 in qualifying in particular. In front of Kevin Magnussen in 2022, the balance of power has reversed and he now appears as a somewhat tender young man struggling to move on. In one winter, the young German changed teammates and finally found himself confronted with an experienced reference driver, in this case Kevin Magnussen, author of several seasons in Formula 1. Between the direct comparison with a solid driver, and the capacity of the Haas to occasionally fight for points, it clearly highlighted the German's current limitations. 

While Magnussen has already amassed fifteen points, Mick Schumacher has yet to score any. So obviously, internally, we are impatiently waiting for the son of the Red Baron to get up to speed. “Our decision to recruit Kevin was also linked to giving Mick a valuable reference, explained Steiner. We know what Magnussen is capable of, he is a good driver, and so Mick now has a good reference and he simply needs to get up to speed. »

Mick Schumacher waiting for the trigger

At the start of the season, Steiner and the Haas staff were patient with the champion of the Formula 2 (2020), but it seems clear that the requirements will soon be re-evaluated. “He's going to get the opportunity at some point, let's just hope it happens quickly, because we'd like him to score some points too, continued the Italian. But he is growing and maturing. I told him: the higher you go, the more oxygen becomes rarer and the more difficult it is to be in the points. (with pressure), because there are many good drivers and good teams. Hopefully we will get our first point quickly.” 

It was in Bahrain that Mick Schumacher came closest to the points, with an 11th place. Suffering a violent accident in Jeddah, he did not start the Grand Prix at all, before finishing 13th in Melbourne and 17th in Imola. In Miami, we thought he would finally unlock his counter. After qualifying ahead of his teammate (15th against 16th), Schumacher held his first points by driving in 9th position with four laps remaining. The turning point was within reach, and his season was about to be truly launched. But an accident with Sebastian Vettel, for which he was greatly responsible, prevented him from doing so. Rebound expected in Barcelona. In the meantime, the scoreboard remains blank… 

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