[ad_1]
Mick Schumacher did it, he will drive in Formula 1, the premier class of motorsport. However, the 21-year-old will have to live with the fact that no story about him can help but compare him to his father for a while. So even in this case. Because it is really exciting to see how different the nature of the two races is.
When Michael Schumacher entered Formula 1 in 1991 and placed his Jordan racing car lower than seventh on the grid on his debut in Spa, Belgium, the characteristics that should have accompanied him from then on were quickly found: upcoming champion of the world, super talent, high flyer. His talent was so evident.
Okay first, then the big leap
Early in her career she started with her mother’s maiden name Corinna (Betsch) to not attract so much attention. Even then, Mick Schumacher was not the great high-flyer who would break through the kart series and then through the junior formulas as a child prodigy. Once again, what his new team boss Günther Steiner noted: “The first season went well, the big leap always came in the second”. For the former GP driver Marc Surer a sign that Schumacher perhaps not the great absolute natural talent who immediately stands out as the absolute flyer, but someone who learns better than many others. “Someone who can absorb all available information and then act accordingly. And this is perhaps even more important in today’s Formula 1, “Surer believes.
His slightly longer path to the top gave Schumacher time to mature. At 21 he is already very stable, certainly also influenced by family circumstances, by the tragedy surrounding his father Michael. In addition, he is represented from the start by a management team that has previously worked for Michael Schumacher. Strongly protected in the beginning, he was able to develop.
“We certainly won’t compete for victories”
“Mick is already very advanced for his age, and he’s also a very nice and polite guy – and he’s fast, that’s the most important thing,” says Steiner, the Haas team leader. The move to Formula 1 should still be at least a small culture shock. The environment is different from that of his previous employer, the Prema Powerteam in Formula 2. In the future, Schumacher will have to deal with many more people with whom he will have to work as a team: “It will be unusual. I hope I can get used to it quickly, “he said at a press conference on Wednesday where he was officially unveiled. His contract with Haas lasts” several years “as he was called, which in Formula 1 parlance usually means at least two years plus options for an extension.
Expectations are high only because of the name, Mick Schumacher knows that: “We will definitely not be competing for wins next year,” he said. In fact, the Haas team is more than the backbench. Getting to Q2 in qualifying, then getting a point every so often in the race would be a great success for Schumacher. And of course to keep up with his teammate Nikita Mazepin.
His new boss, team boss Günther Steiner, will play a special role for Schumacher. With his direct and uncompromising way of saying what he thinks, the South Tyrolean is a big exception in Formula 1. All the tricks of this entertainment car, all the politics and its games – Steiner knows them very well and is happy to comment on them. This made him a cult figure in the Netflix documentary series. For anyone who works directly with him, his way of doing things can take some getting used to. On the other hand, Mick Schumacher can be pretty sure he always knows what he’s doing with his employer. All in all, these are good prerequisites for getting to know Formula 1 quickly.
Some other racing sons who entered Formula 1 could still count on the direct support of their fathers. Nico Rosberg, for example, whose father Keke has always been a contact, or Nelson Piquet jr. Pietro Fittipaldi, who will now be in Bahrain as a replacement for Romain Grosjean after his accident in a fire at Haas, has a special grandfather Emerson, 1972 and 1974 world champion, to support the track. The Fittipaldis are a prime example of family dynasties in racing: Pietro is the fourth member of the family to start in the premier class.
These links are especially useful at the start of a sponsorship fundraising career. It was the same with Jacques Villeneuve and Damon Hill, whose fathers Gilles and Graham died prematurely, but who made their way anyway. Just like Bruno Senna, they learned that a big name can mean extra pressure, even if it wasn’t the father but uncle Ayrton the legend to fight against. Mick Schumacher knows this all too well. He’s doing pretty well so far.
Source link
