Mick Schumacher: From splitting the car in two to being left without a team in Formula 1?

He is 23 and has the most famous surname in Formula 1 history. But Mick Schumacher is not Michael and his mistakes could pay dearly. The German driver accumulates 28 races at Haas and no points, plus smashing two cars in seven Grands Prix this season, the latest in the recent Monaco GP, where Checo Pérez was the big winner together with Red Bull, which relegated Ferrari and Charles Leclerc to second place in the championship. Following this latest incident, in which the car broke down in half, rumors have grown about his possible departure from the American team in 2023.

Mick Schumacher arrived at Haas last season not only as the son of the seven-time champion – until then the only one – in the class. He did it as the Formula 2 champion and teammate of Nikita Mazepin, who largely overtook despite none of them scoring any points and the team finished last.

Already without the Russian in the team following the war between Russia and Ukraine that led to the hiring of Kevin Magnussen, the German no longer shines. On the contrary, why the Dane is tenth in the league with the (not insignificant) 15 points that place Haas eighth, ahead of Aston Martin and Lawrence Stroll’s millions.

According to the information of the British journalist Joe Saward, Schumacher’s situation is complicated because “he was below expectations” and in the team led by Guenther Steiner they have a driver change in mind for next year. “Mick Schumacher continues to have big crashes trying to keep up with Kevin Magnussen. Patience is running out at Haas and it is said that they would probably like to have another driver for next year, even if Ferrari has something to say on that subject, ”Saward said.

It is that, although the accidents of Michael’s son in Saudi Arabia and Monte Carlo have generated an additional cost for the team, already limited by the new Formula 1 regulations, which in 2022 put a spending cap on the teams of $ 140 million-, the pressure of the giant Ferrari, which supplies Haas with its powerful engines, it cannot be excluded that he will keep the German despite being one of the three drivers who have not yet scored points this year together with Nicholas Latifi (Williams) and Nico Hulkenberg , replacement for Sebastian Vettel’s Aston Martin when he had the coronavirus.

Vettel himself could be a fuse in Schumacher’s continuity. In a market that seems to have no brakes in F1 – in fact, Red Bull has just confirmed the continuity of Checo Pérez-, the possible retirement of the four-time F1 champion could open the doors to Mick at Aston Martin whether Lance Stroll’s father keeps his investment in the team for another year or eventually surrenders to Volkswagen.

For now, Vettel has already gone out to speak to the media. But not of his future, but of Schumacher, his pupil, whom he defended. “I don’t know exactly what happened to him, I didn’t see him. But it’s very easy to make a mistake so quickly. The important thing is that he is fine,” he stressed immediately after the Monaco GP. “I think there is no doubt that he is capable of doing a lot more than what he is showing right now. I think they need to give it a break”, Reprimanded the principality’s journalists.

Schumacher, for his part, referred what it felt like when his car broke down in two. “It was really weird. From what I saw in the video, it looked like we were 10 centimeters farther away. And that possibly caused the bump on a wet area or whatever it would have been with the front wheel, which then translated into a rear wheel slip. Basically that’s where the rear end flipped over. I tried to correct it and that’s why it went left. It was very unfortunate and left me very upset, “he noted.

His explanation, however, may not be enough in a market that has already begun to move and in which no one has a guaranteed place until they sign a contract, which in his case expires at the end of the year with Haas.

Seven dates, two accidents

Formula 1 started on March 18 in Bahrain and just a few days later Mick Schumacher was involved in one of the most shocking crashes of the season so far. In qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the 23-year-old German crashed his Haas into the walls of Jeddah and ended up in a helicopter on his way to the hospital.

Even though it was a precaution and finished without physical damage, the car could not be repaired and the driver missed the race and Haas had a chance to score points with his two cars, as he took two with Magnussen.

Last weekend Mick’s accident did not arrive in qualifying but in the race, giving him some emotion because a red flag in Monaco closes the gap and rekindles the fight for the position, even if none of this happened in head to the grid, with Pérez, Sainz, Verstappen and Leclerc. The German’s touch in front of the Pool’s tech-pro barriers caused another broken car for Haas.

While it was shocking that the German got out of a split car unscathed, it is only because the cars are extremely safe and also, of course, very expensive: the newspaper reports. ace from Spain, the bill for each of Schumacher’s accidents is estimated at around one million euros.

“Any team, from the best to the worst, has to stop evolving in the face of such a big accident. Because if you are going to take something to Baku and you fall in Monaco, now in the factory you should produce another specification of the Monaco package first.” , warned that half one of the ten team directors of the paddock F1, which also explains why a champion like Fernando Alonso apologized for a slight touch that damaged the nose of the Alpino during qualifying in Monte Carlo.

“We saw what happened. It’s not very satisfying to have a big accident again. We have to see how we progress from this, “Steiner limited himself to his opinion when asked after the Monaco GP.

Does it stay or go?

The market is known in F1 because the movements start when the season stops for the summer holidays in Europe -what will happen between the GP of Hungary, on July 31, and the GP of Belgium, on August 28-.

However, Red Bull has already surprised by moving the first chess piece and announcing the continuity of Pérez, which once again leaves Pierre Gasly a long way from returning to the Milton Keynes team.

As a driver of the Ferrari Academy, Schumacher is a protege of the Italians not only for his surname. But it is also true that in the Scuderia – which ensured the Leclerc-Sainz duo until 2024 – there are interesting names to propose.

These include Robert Shwartzman, Callum Ilott and, although less likely, F3 drivers such as Arthur Leclerc and Oliver Bearman. Haas could also take his reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi off the bench, or allow the return of Antonio Giovinazzi, who is a reserve at Ferrari.