Mick Schumacher showed the doubters. With amazing maturity he scored his first points in Formula 1 in the chaos at Silverstone. This increases his chances in the upcoming contract poker.
Mick Schumacher hugged mentor Sebastian Vettel, Mama Corinna distributed kisses in the paddock. Before the hurried return flight home, the young Formula 1 star and his family gave free rein to their joy and relief at the longed-for first World Championship points.
“I’m feeling really great,” said the Haas pilot, and his perpetual grin proved it. His grandiose catch-up race at Silverstone from second to last to eighth place removed any remaining doubts about Schumacher’s Formula 1 suitability, at least for the time being, and provided him with the best arguments for the forthcoming contract negotiations.
knot loosened
Team boss Günther Steiner, who recently also noticed public criticism of the 23-year-old, now sees a knot loosened. “At least hopefully some of the pressure will go away now and he can drive more freely,” said the Italian. He had previously observed quite astonished how ripped off Schumacher kept his nerve in the British chaos. “We almost couldn’t believe what happened there,” said Steiner.
3507 days had passed since Papa Michael had captured the last Formula 1 points for the Schumacher family when he left in Brazil. Filius Mick had to endure a tough apprenticeship year in a completely inferior car last season. Accidents, bad luck and mistakes by his crew had also prevented the points premiere in the past few months. “We are a team and we win and lose as a team. That’s been my mentality since the beginning, »said Schumacher. His father would not have put it any differently.
In the 31st Grand Prix, patience and hard work paid off. At Silverstone it had looked as if Schumacher’s team would let him down. His mechanics had made a sloppy mistake installing the steering before qualifying. “I don’t hold the team against anything, but tell the team that we will do it together,” Schumacher confirmed on Sky.
Mother proud of “Micki”
The German showed just how self-confident he is despite all the setbacks shortly before the end of the race when he also took on world champion Max Verstappen. Although he couldn’t get past the damaged Red Bull in the last corner, his family was very happy. “Micki, I’m super proud of you. Well done, darling », sparked mother Corinna. “For me he is the winner,” Sister Gina wrote on Instagram for a video of her champagne attack on her brother.
Even compatriot Vettel was not angry that Schumacher had overtaken him on his 35th birthday. “I really screamed in the car: Come on, Mick,” revealed the Aston Martin driver. The Hessian had recently defended his idol’s son against criticism and has long been one of Schumacher’s advisers.
Future in Formula 1
With the liberation from Silverstone, Schumacher’s chances of a longer future in Formula 1 also increase. Before the race, team owner Gene Haas had said that the racing team wanted to wait a little longer with talks about a new contract. The current contract expires at the end of the year. If Schumacher confirms his form in the three races until the summer break, the US team will hardly think about a separation.
However, team boss Steiner warned against setting expectations too high. “You shouldn’t think that he always has to score points,” said the 57-year-old. Schumacher seemed to have no problems with such claims at Silverstone.
