Mick Schumacher admits being in the current F1 stars’ ‘Top 10 drivers of 2021’ makes him feel special and pushes him to do even better.
Schumacher took part in his first Formula 1 season in 2021, driving for Haas. He entered the sport after winning the 2020 Formula 2 Championship, and brought a lot of promise with him.
The 22-year old had a very quiet maiden campaign, mainly due to his cars’ inferiority. The Haas car was arguably the slowest car on grid and neither Schumacher, nor his teammate Nikita Mazepin were able to fight for points.
However, the German consistently outperformed Mazepin on all fronts throughout 2021. He even managed to take his VF-21 into Q2 on two separate occasions. Several drivers including Sebastian Vettel praised the young driver for showing his brilliance behind the wheel.
Next weekend, Mick and Seb will team up at the @RaceOfChampions in Sweden 🇸🇪 pic.twitter.com/Pw3E2vTEZ5
— Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) January 29, 2022
Vettel revealed that Schumacher was ‘the first person to arrive at the paddock and the last to leave’ every day. As a result, the four-time World Champion feels that the Haas driver will perform much better in 2022, with the American team set to make some strides.
After the end of the 2021 season, all drivers took part in a voting that would rank the best drivers on grid that year according to them.
Mick Schumacher hopes to drive a ‘much faster’ car in 2022
World Champion Max Verstappen was chosen as the drivers’ best driver for 2021 followed by his title rival Lewis Hamilton on 2nd. Mick Schumacher ended up 10th on the list, despite not scoring points that season.
In an interview with Sky Sports Germany , Schumacher spoke about his debut season in F1. When asked about how he felt about the grid choosing him as a ‘top 10 driver’, the Genolier born driver said he felt ‘special’.
“It was definitely nice and I was very happy about it,” he said. “To be honest, I did not expect it. It gives me a boost for this year too, to show it hopefully with a faster car.”
Is driving for Ferrari the goal?
Mick: “My goal this year is to be as far ahead as possible with Haas. What happens in the future, we’ll see. Obviously it also depends on what happens this year with Haas. If I do well there, hopefully it will go in the right direction next year” pic.twitter.com/F8PEdbSTLY
— tami. (@Vetteleclerc) February 1, 2022
Schumacher will spend the 2022 season as Ferrari’s reserve driver. He’s been tipped for a future seat at the Italian team and many expect him to emulate his father Michael’s success at the outfit.
Mick Schumacher said that driving for Ferrari is a dream, but he remains focused on performing well with Haas for this year. “I would be great to drive a Ferrari on a race weekend,” he continued.
“But the main focus is on HAAS. If Ferrari needs the support, then I am obviously there.”
