Because Mick Schumacher’s rise to Formula 1 is still ongoing

(Motorsport-Total.com) – Mick Schumacher is on his feet, no longer a secret, right before the leap into Formula 1. But at least on the first Sunday of Advent there is still no early Christmas present for the 21-year-old. Because he cannot become Formula 2 champion in today’s Bahrain sprint race, and therefore the official announcement of his promotion to the Haas team has to wait.

Team boss Günther Steiner said at the request of “Motorsport-Total.com” that there is no announcement from his drivers this weekend. He told ‘Sky’: “We will announce it before the end of the season in Abu Dhabi. Maybe a little earlier.”

The track that the Haas duo could be called Schumacher / Masepin in 2021 is “definitely not cold”, admits the South Tyrolean with a smile. You will have to wait “two weeks maximum” for a specific message.

From a German point of view, the perfect script is this: Schumacher beats his colleague / rival in the Ferrari Driver Academy, Callum Ilott, in an exciting final in Bahrain 2, wins the Formula 2 championship, then becomes the second part of the The widely announced RTL documentary unveiled to German Formula 1 audiences as a new driver for 2021.

But Ferrari is in a dilemma. Confirming Schumacher as a Haas driver now would be a blow to the neck for Ilott, and that in the hot phase of the title fight. And many are wondering: If the 22-year-old Brit is still a champion, will he get the Haas cockpit? After all, as reigning champion in 2021, he should no longer be driving Formula 2.

But Steiner denies the question of whether his driver line-up will be decided by the result of the Formula 2 championship: “This does not depend on the result”. What could suggest that the decision has already been made behind the scenes and that we are just waiting for the end of the championship?

Be that as it may: Until there is any press release from Haas, Schumacher’s rise to Formula 1 is unofficial. And fans can enjoy the exciting Formula 2 title fight for longer. Before the sprint race in Bahrain, Schumacher has a twelve-point lead over Ilott. There are still 65 points to be awarded. Talking about a preliminary decision would be premature.

His juniors “are all doing a good job,” says Ferrari sporting director Laurent Mekies, keeping a low profile on the subject: “We are very happy with them, speed doesn’t lie. It’s a pleasure to see them fight on the front lines. We look forward to the last three races. “

But with Schumacher, Ilott and Robert Schwarzman, Ferrari currently has three juniors who have been confirmed by experts as having potential in Formula 1. Having too many talents at the same time to be able to welcome them all into the premier class by 2021 is a problem. luxury, says Mekies. And: “Nobody says everyone has to go up at the same time”.

“We did well with Antonio Giovinazzi. At worst, we won’t have a racing cockpit until a season later. I prefer we have more talent than none,” Mekies said. “If we don’t put them in a cockpit right away, we’ll find other ways.” After all, there are also test driver contracts with guaranteed Friday training sessions as plan B …