'Shocked’ Mick Schumacher opens up about life at Mercedes alongside Lewis Hamilton and George Russell

Mick Schumacher has opened up about his new role at Mercedes F1 alongside Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. The German driver is currently serving as the third driver for Hamilton and Russell at the Brackley-based team, where he is involved with simulator work.

The former Haas driver was axed from the American outfit after he failed to impress in his two-year stint. Schumacher was routinely outperformed by his much older teammate Kevin Magnussen in 2022. While his form did improve as the season progressed, the team decided to go with Nico Hulkenberg for 2023.

The Silver Arrows then swooped in, acting as a lifeline for Mick Schumacher, who now works closely with engineers to ensure Russell and Lewis Hamilton have the best possible car at every race weekend.

Mercedes also holds a special place in Mick's life as his father and seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher came out of retirement to help set up the German team.

Speaking to the official F1 website, Mick Schumacher spoke about his new role:

“I’ve learned a lot about what’s important in terms of approaching race weekends; I feel like I’ve already gained so much knowledge to add to my skillset. I didn’t think I would have learned and gained so much so early into my role."

He added:

"As a driver, you usually do not get to hear what is going on between all the engineers while you are out on the track, so listening in during the sessions has been extremely interesting. I was quite shocked at the season opener in Bahrain, I did not expect the sheer amount of exchange that happens."

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Lewis Hamilton-Max Verstappen dynamic has flipped around, claims F1 pundit

According to F1 analyst Ted Kravitz, there has been a significant shift in the relationship between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton this season. Kravitz notes that Verstappen's exceptional performance in the Red Bull car has led him to exercise greater caution during races.

Kravitz further observed that between 2014 and 2020, when Mercedes and Hamilton had the most superior car on the circuit, Hamilton tended to adopt a more conservative approach, while Verstappen was more aggressive in his pursuit of the championship. Hamilton held back, allowing Verstappen to be the more daring driver.

However, the roles have now been reversed ever since the aerodynamic regulations changed in 2022. With Red Bull now having the upper hand, the seven-time world champion has found himself playing defense, often attempting to disrupt Verstappen's momentum.

Ted Kravitz spoke about Verstappen and Hamilton on the Sky Sports F1 podcast:

"We now have, with Max Verstappen with a championship to think about, a complete flip in the seasons... the Mercedes-Lewis Hamilton seasons from 2014-2021.

"When Hamilton's been going for the championship. He knows he's got the fastest car and needs to play it safe. And you've got Verstappen, challenging him, and wanting to get in there. It's completely flipped, hasn't it?"

It will be interesting to watch the two mammoths go head-to-head over the course of the 2023 season.