After spending two bittersweet years at Haas, Mick Schumacher was shown the exit door by Guenther Steiner at the end of the 2022 F1 season. The reason for his sacking is believed to be the $5,000,000 expense he incurred due to the multiple crashes he suffered. Now, after spending half a season as a reserve driver at Mercedes, Schumacher told Sky Germany that he ponders where it all went wrong for him at Haas, as per Autoweek.
The German driver became a cause of concern for the Kannapolis-based team last year because they had to deal with the huge cost incurred by him. They couldn’t deal with such huge expenses especially due to the tight budget cap.
M. Schumacher. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/bEMBwXUzAP
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) July 16, 2023
Therefore, Steiner was not at all interested in keeping the 23-year-old in the team anymore and bank on him for the upcoming seasons. Ultimately, Schumacher Jr. was ousted from the team and was replaced by Nico Hulkenberg in 2023. Nevertheless, the current Mercedes reserve driver still wonders what went wrong with him.
Schumacher reflects on his Haas days and things that went wrong for him
Schumacher recently decided to look back on his Haas days from 2021 and 2022. He recalled how he was under fire for the majority of his stint. Schumacher also spoke about the highs and lows from his time with the American outfit.
Talking about this, the former Haas driver said, “There were a few moments where I wondered what I did wrong. But those ups and downs were great. Because it’s no different in motorsport.”
Scary crash for Mick Schumacher and the Haas team! Glad he is ok! #formula1crash #schumacher #monaco #dthcards pic.twitter.com/h2sbzgHpy6
— J&K Collect (@jkcollect1) May 30, 2022
Even though the 23-year-old gave a bumper bill to the Kannapolis-based team because of his crashes, Schumacher also mentioned the lack of support he encountered at the American team during his bad days.
Mick Schumacher and his lack of support from Haas
Schumacher’s departure came as a surprise to many after the German driver showed early signs of promise. Despite finishing the 2021 season without points, in 2022 he claimed 12 points and finished the season in P17. Despite this, Schumacher claims that he didn’t get much support.
The rookies this year- Logan Sargeant at Williams and Oscar Piastri at McLaren- are receiving a lot more support than he ever did. Therefore, the lack of backing by Haas was also a reason why the German driver lacked confidence throughout the season.
Nevertheless, after a rough patch in his career, Mick Schumacher jumped from Ferrari’s roster to join the Mercedes camp. Only time will tell if he can revive his F1 career from here on.
