The pressure of a Schumacher

A good last name can allow sponsors to climb into lower categories, but otherwise, the pressure is always next to you. In training classes that can be synonymous with having the best structure and best car. But in ‘Great Circus’It doesn’t matter what your name is. Although there are nuances.

It doesn’t always help. For Sainz, for example, because he entered the lower categories of Red Bull, it didn’t help him because only hands and results were counted there. If we look at the case of Mike Schumacherhis last name allowed him to have more opportunities to perform in the classes he attended, more than perhaps in others in his area. It doesn’t matter that in his first year in European F3 he was 12th. In the second, he won. Nor is it that in his first year at the F2 World Championship he was 12th with difficulty managing the wheels and many mistakes. He retains his seat on a top team like Premaas part of the Ferrari academy, and won the title after a hesitant start and not without mistakes.

He came to F1 after accumulating more kilometers in a ‘Great Circus’ car than the other kids for the tests they offered him. In his F1 debut, as a young Ferrari driver on loan to Haas, included Nikita Mazepin in 2021 he has the sole goal of adaptation and improvement. Sharing a box in Russian, with no talent, is positive for Mike because the comparison turned out to be the winner. But other things worked against him: he couldn’t learn from a better pilot and Nikita it’s not a good thermometer to measure his talent.

Gunter Steiner, boss Hass, resisted the pressure of Nikita’s father, who thought the German had better pieces. And a year later, without the Russian on the team, Günter again had to listen to similar speeches.

He had a very bad time at the start of the campaign

The arrival of a pilot like the experienced Dane Kevin Magnussen provided a new challenge for Schumacher. The son of the 7-time world champion has to face an aggressive, experienced and fast driver. Raised the bar. And as soon as he got off the track, Kevin revealed the young man’s shortcomings.

Prior to the appointment of Silverstone A few weeks ago, Mick had yet to release his points locker, as his teammate added 15 with a Haas surprised at its good performance.

Mick Schumacher suffered several accidents earlier in the year: in Jeddah, Miami and a strong one in Monaco. In Azerbaijan, it is noticeable that it remained at 1.1 ” from his companion in the classification, in the last place. More criticism came and part of the German press, which was protecting Mick, launched a rumor that the team was not in favor of the German. Günter bit it.

“I’m not going to be a scapegoat for the fact that things didn’t go according to plan for Mick. That he had no points is a fact. Accidents too. Neither team will be happy. It’s completely nonsense that we put Mick at a disadvantage or put unnecessary pressure on him, ”Steiner said.

“I don’t have a problem with Mick, but he has to understand that F1 is a sport where everyone is expected to perform,” he added. “Mick has to control his nerves,” he clarified.

“It is normal that the driver is a bit insecure after two accidents. It is also clear that Baku is a place with dangers. And Montreal is no better. Mick wants to avoid another accident at all costs and after. So the end is a step forward. “, assured. And it is that curiously, since then Mick’s performance has been very different.

‘Turning points

In Canada he was sixth in wet qualifying: “Honestly, I don’t listen to criticisms. I’m here for a reason, and that’s because I love this sport and racing. And I think I have shown in lower categories that there is a reason why I am here, ”he said then. But in the race he retired due to engine failure when he was 7th.

Finally, in Great Britain, in the 10th career of the course, Mick was 8th and scored for the first time in F1 after a course and a half without achieving it.

“It’s taken his time to get the first points,” he exclaimed. “Since the start of the championship we have tried a lot, but because of the pressure we made mistakes here and there. I had to understand this car, which is more difficult than 2021. You have to push it to the limit and that will open up the possibility of mistakes ”, Mick commented happily. And it was that if Mick showed one thing, it was that he was a more diesel pilot. He didn’t acclimatize to other cars as fast as other talents like Leclerc, Verstappen or Russell. Need more time. and as he said Sainz once MD, that doesn’t make one driver better than another, but you have to compare them when both are “at their 100%”. And nowMick looks stoned.

At Silverstone his last defense against Verstappen caught attention, and last weekend, in Austria, he confirmed his improvement. He finished 8th in ‘qualy’ and started the sprint race in 7th place, finishing 9th after battling in hamilton. He once again faced the 7-time champion in the race and there he shone, finishing 6th and being chosen by fans as ‘Rider of the day’.

However, he still has a long way to go and we must remember that Spielberg’s going to Haas is like a glove. In his comparison with Magnussen lost by 1-10 in ‘settledand Dane added 22 points. Schumacher scored 4 to 12 points on Spielberg. But her smile gives her. You start enjoying F1.

I will not deceive you. I don’t think he’s the best driver we’ll ever see. Nor does he have the wood of a champion assumed just for being Schumacher’s son. But we have to wait to see what its ceiling is. Maybe surprising. Or maybe not.