Mick Schumacher and Formula 1: finally arrived

Status: 11:30 a.m | Reading time: 4 minutes

Mick Schumacher laughed, he beamed – and he had every reason to do so. The 23-year-old earned all the praise and congratulations with his splendid Formula 1 drive in sixth place at the Austrian Grand Prix. The son of record world champion Michael Schumacher was even voted “Driver of the Day” by the fans. “I’m completely satisfied,” said Schumacher on Sunday in Spielberg. And that’s what he looked like – just 24 hours after some frustration had built up in the now more confident and determined Mick Schumacher.

The fact that he hadn’t felt as supported by the team in the sprint race as he had hoped was forgotten. The sometimes difficult time this year due to two serious and, above all, extremely expensive accidents in Saudi Arabia and Monaco. “Fantastic race, I’m happy for you and the team,” team boss Günther Steiner radioed to Mick Schumacher after crossing the finish line in front of more than 100,000 fans along the route.

Sixth place in Austria meant a further eight points after four points in his debut in points a week ago at Silverstone. In the classification he is 15th, just one place and three points behind his friend and compatriot Sebastian Vettel. When Charles Leclerc in a Ferrari won ahead of Max Verstappen in a Red Bull and Lewis Hamilton in a Mercedes, Mick Schumacher could also feel like a winner. “Mick rode superbly, defended well and always on the sporting side. I’m happy to see that,” said Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes Motorsport.

Great duels with Lewis Hamilton

Schumacher had already fought a great duel with the star driver of the Silver Arrows in the sprint race on Saturday, but had to let the 37-year-old Lewis Hamilton pass him – in his estimation also due to a lack of team help – and missed out on the points in the shortened race in ninth place. Fighting against the seven-time world champion again on Sunday was fun, emphasized Mick Schumacher, who was undeterred by the close battles for positions on the short Red Bull Ring. In general, he feels very comfortable with it. “I would feel most comfortable in front, but we still have to wait for that,” he said on Sky.

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The new optimism is no accident. While last season he was to be found almost exclusively at the end of the field together with his then team-mate Nikita Mazepin, this season he has a car that is competitive. Well, halfway through the season, he seems to have finally embraced it too. He was “very happy with the set-up, very happy with what we achieved as a team today. We’re getting closer to the top teams,” explained Schumacher. And teammate Kevin Magnussen, who was responsible for the Haas team’s 15 points until the race at Silverstone eight days ago, had to admit: “Mick has made a big step in the past two races.”

Only car upgrade in Hungary

It remains to be seen whether it will be enough to place in the points in the long term. The Haas has not received any further development since the start of the season, an upgrade package is expected at the end of July for the race in Hungary. After that it should be over, the financially battered racing team wants to concentrate on the next season. “In this way we can catch up more instead of investing more money this year,” said team boss Steiner.

Schumacher has advertised that he can also be behind the wheel in 2023. His contract with Haas expires at the end of the year. After the weak start, after which some experts had already denied him Formula 1 suitability, an extension seemed anything but certain. Now the summer break in August will probably be used for serious talks, as Steiner announced. “It should only be a matter of time before the team commits itself to the future,” said Schumacher’s uncle Ralf on Sky.

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