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Mick Schumacher's future in F1 looks uncertain at the moment. The German has not yet received an extension from Haas, and the team is somewhat reticent to re-sign him. In the last few weeks, team boss Guenther Steiner has stated that Schumacher needs to be more consistent in his performances.
This week, viewers got a comment from chief engineer Ayao Komatsu that Mick Schumacher focussed too much on his teammates and not enough on himself. It raises a few red flags regarding the future of Schumacher at Haas. In all likelihood, the team is not optimistic about retaining the driver, especially when many are eagerly vying for the seat.
Mick Schumacher was always going to be in the spotlight, given the legacy he has to carry. However, his road to success will be long and arduous. This article will explore whether Schumacher might keep his seat at Haas.
Mick Schumacher's 2022 F1 season review
His season can be divided into two parts. The first is from Bahrain to Azerbaijan GP. The second is from the Canadian to the Italian GP.
Phase 1 (Bahrain to Azerbaijan)
Points: 15-0 (Magnussen to Schumacher)
The first half of the season was a disaster for Mick Schumacher. He had an incident on the first lap with Esteban Ocon in Bahrain. He did not compete in Saudi Arabia after the crash.
He squandered a strong points finish at Miami after colliding with Sebastian Vettel. The second major crash at Monaco, where the car split into two parts, was the last straw that broke the camel's back. Steiner gave the German a public dressing down and stated that these incidents cannot continue.
After the first eight races, Kevin Magnussen finished ahead of Mick Schumacher 4-2 when both drivers finished the race. The Danish driver had 15 points in the bag after the Azerbaijan GP, while Mick Schumacher had nothing to show.
Phase 2 (Canadian to Italian GP)
Points: 7-12 (Magnussen to Schumacher)
It was from the Canadian GP onwards that Schumacher started turning things around. A strong weekend (until it lasted) in Canada was followed by his first points finish at Silverstone, where he battled Max Verstappen in the race's closing stages.
What followed Silverstone was an even more fantastic weekend at Austria where Schumacher not only scored points, he held a clear advantage over his teammate. By this time, Schumacher had started exerting himself within the team. He was vocal about the team not letting him get ahead of Magnussen in the sprint race and felt the team needed to be more proactive. That was the first sign of the young Schumacher being annoyed.
Since the summer break, Schumacher has also held his own and has been the fastest driver at Haas. He had a sensational qualifying lap in Zandvoort. The race got compromised because of a poor tire stop, or a points finish was on the cards. Similarly, a points finish was likely at Monza before the late race safety halted the proceedings.
In the second half, Schumacher outscored Magnussen, 12 to 7, and in every race that both drivers have finished, Schumacher finished ahead 5-1.
Conclusion
Looking at the season, it is clear that the German struggled tremendously at the start of the season. He did not have a proper learning curve or a question mark. During this season, Magnussen took advantage of a more competitive Haas car and scored good points.
In the second half of the season, Schumacher has turned things around. He's learned what he needs to do to get the most out of the car. Slowly but steadily, he's stretched the gap to Magnussen and has been the better driver in the second half of the season.
Does Mick Schumacher deserve a seat at Haas?
His first half of the season was horrible, and if we have to judge him on that, he will not keep his seat with the team.
It's the second half of the season where the German has shown spark. If you're finishing ahead of your teammate 5 out of 6 times, it shows that he has improved from his initial level and is also working to fix his errors. At this moment, Schumacher is the better driver at Haas. The German driver should also be retained if the team is willing to continue with Kevin Magnussen.
Disclaimer: This article reflects the opinions of the writer.
