"I know what I'm worth"- Mick Schumacher confident of winning F1 races despite prior criticism

Mick Schumacher is confident in his driving abilities in F1 despite criticism against him. The German driver had a rocky start to the season but has since found form.

Schumacher has been under public scrutiny for coming up short against his older teammate Kevin Magnussen, who performed better than the German despite taking a break from the sport.

The Haas driver began the season crashing out heavily in Saudi Arabia's qualifying in a shunt that led to him missing the race the following day. The German has since improved, having scored twice in a row at the 2022 F1 British and Austrian Grands Prix. Mick Schumacher, however, hasn't forgotten the criticism he received at the start of the season.

Speaking to Motorsport, he said:

“Yeah, I understand that people need to make money and they need to do some stuff. But on the other hand, also, I would appreciate if people would, you know, maybe take more time, to actually build up facts. I don’t really reflect on those again, or go back to those. I know what I’m able to do. I know what I’m worth.”

The driver added that he has been subject to criticism since his junior racing days, but has always bounced back stronger, winning most, if not all, junior categories. Mick Schumacher concluded, saying:

“So, my focus is really on that. I just try to do my best and normally, the best that I can do, should be enough to perform well, because it has been like that in Formula 2 and Formula 3. And also Formula 4. In each championship that I’ve competed in junior categories, I was able to be the second or first. So I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t be able to do that in Formula 1.”

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Mick Schumacher 'more than happy' to step in for Ferrari when opportunity arrives

Mick Schumacher said he would be 'more than happy' to step in for Ferrari if given the chance. The German is a reserve driver for the Italian outfit and could be asked to replace Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc if either is unable to compete.

The German driver has a rich tie with the Prancing Horse, given his father's dominant time with the team. When asked if he would be ready to showcase his skills to the Italian outfit if given the opportunity, Mick Schumacher told the media:

“Yeah, yeah. I mean, our cars are not the same, but are similar. I’ve grown up with Ferrari basically since 2019 and I feel like I understand the whole procedure. I’d be more than happy to step in and show them what I’ve got.”

Meanwhile, Haas team principal Gunther Steiner has claimed that the Italian team is not dictating terms regarding Schumacher's future contract - making it difficult to predict how he will proceed to the main Scuderia team.