Mick Schumacher enters Mercedes ranks– Reflecting on his career so far and what’s next

Mick Schumacher saw his chance at a seat in the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship slip away with Haas F1 Team deciding not to renew his contract past 2022. Haas instead elected to bring Nico Hülkenberg back into the F1 ranks, leaving Schumacher on the sideline. Since then, It has been announced that he will be joining Mercedes in a reserve role, with Schumacher intent on remaining involved in F1.

Reviewing Schumacher’s time with Haas F1 Team

In reflecting on Schumacher’s F1 career up until this point, it is clear that it was at times tumultuous, as he himself attests to. Schumacher got his start with Haas at a time when the team was struggling from both a financial and performance standpoint– the team had a difficult 2020 season, only scoring three points and finishing ninth in the constructor’s championship.

As a result, Haas decided to shake things up with an all-rookie lineup of Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin in 2021, which was a monetarily strategic move for the team. This season, however, marked Haas’ worst performance since entering F1, finishing last in the constructor’s with zero points. 

Haas couldn’t get off the ground when it came to performance, which meant that both Schumacher and his team-mate were left to flounder at the back of the field. With this, it was particularly difficult to size up his individual ability. 

Schumacher outperformed Mazepin by a comfortable margin, beating him out nineteen to three in qualifying and sixteen to five in race results. He did, however, suffer some rookie woes in 2021, from spins to race-day tangles. Ultimately, his 2021 performance left fans wanting to see more from the German driver, particularly in a competitive car.

This opportunity came in 2022, as Haas was able to make a considerable jump in the ranks, especially at the beginning of the season. Now driving alongside Kevin Magnussen, who was brought back into the team after being dropped in 2020, fans felt that they could get a much better read on Schumacher’s skill when compared to the experienced Danish driver. 

Magnussen began the season with a bang, finishing fifth at the Bahrain Grand Prix, securing Haas’ first points since 2020. Schumacher finished eleventh there, just missing out on points in what was a great start to the season for Haas. 

Schumacher failed to squeeze into the points positions in the beginning half of the season, coming close at the Canadian Grand Prix before a power unit issue closed the door on a possible top ten finish. He made up for the lost result with back-to-back points finishes at the British Grand Prix and Austrian Grand Prix, where he finished in eighth place and sixth place, respectively. He was unable to add to his points tally the rest of the season, however, ending the season with twelve points. 

Luck was not always on Schumacher’s side, nor were the team’s strategy calls, both of which played a role in his lack of points success. He also suffered several crashes, including his high-speed wreck during qualifying at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and spin into the barriers at the Monaco Grand Prix. Paired with other smaller incidents such as his off during practice at the Japanese Grand Prix, it was clear to see that Schumacher still needed time to grow and become more consistent. 

Mick Schumacher leads McLaren’s Lando Norris and Alpine’s Fernando Alonso at the Austrian Grand Prix, where he achieved his career best finish of sixth place. Credit: Andy Hone / LAT Images / Haas F1 Team

Overall, Schumacher spent much of the 2022 season in Magnussen’s shadow– Magnussen finished the year thirteenth in the driver’s standings to Schumacher’s sixteenth. Though Schumacher had the stronger hand when it came to race results across the season, beating his teammate out twelve to nine (this statistic disregards Monaco, where both did not finish). The prevailing factor, however, was Magnussen’s ability to capitalise on the opportunities he saw, whether it be his pole position at a wet Brazilian Grand Prix, or the gathering important points at the start of a season that saw several teams struggle to acclimate to the new regulations. 

Ultimately, Haas’ belief that Schumacher didn’t do enough to retain his seat is clear. In reverting to a more experienced line-up with their decision to bring Hülkenberg into the team, we see a definite shift in Haas’ team strategy since the all-rookie line-up of 2020. 

As a small team that wants to solidify themselves in the midfield, they need drivers to capitalise on those fleeting opportunities for success– and they felt that a change of driver line-up was necessary to accomplish this. Haas Team Principal Günther Steiner said that experience was the deciding factor in Hülkenberg’s joining the team. 

When asked what trait Schumacher lacked, Steiner said “I think that the experience of multi-years in Formula 1 that never have been with another team than us.

“So by Nico being seen [as a driver with] three or four teams before, experience [is key] and experience takes time to make, and in the moment, we don’t have time, because we want to move forward. We don’t want to be where we are. Now, we want to get better.”

In the wake of the announcement that Schumacher would be exiting Haas, the German driver shared in a Nov. 17 Instagram post that his leaving was not a mutual decision, and that he believes that his progress since his debut in 2021 warrants a full-time place on the grid.

“I don’t want to hide the fact that I am very disappointed about the decision not to renew our contract.

“It was at times bumpy but I steadily improved, learned a lot and now know for sure that I deserve a place in Formula 1. The subject is anything but closed for me. Setbacks only make you stronger. My fire burns for Formula 1 and I will fight hard to return to the starting grid.” 

Previewing Schumacher’s future with Mercedes

Ahead of his official announcement on 15 December, rumors were circling that Schumacher may move to Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team to fill in their reserve driver vacancy, as Nyck de Vries had left them to join Scuderia AlphaTauri for a full-time seat. This theory was supported by Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff’s openness about his interest in bringing Schumacher on board, saying that he would “just fit” with the team.

Since then, these discussions and theories have come to fruition, giving Schumacher the opportunity to continue to learn and grow with a new team. Schumacher will contribute to the development of W14 through rigorous simulator work and will be trackside for every race of the 2023 season. Schumacher looks forward to starting this new position and supporting Mercedes in their efforts to reclaim the top spot in the championship.

“I take this as a new start, and I am just excited and grateful to Toto and everybody involved for putting their trust in me. F1 is such a fascinating world, and you never stop learning, so I look forward to absorbing more knowledge and putting in all my efforts for the benefit of the Mercedes team.”

Time will tell if this path will lead Schumacher back to a full time seat, with the reserve role likely being the best move for him to remain involved in the sport and on deck for any possible seats that may open up in the future. With the recent trend of bringing drivers back into the sport after some time out, an opportunity can certainly arise for him in the future. However, his relative lack of competitive experience in F1 to others that have been brought back such as Hülkenberg and Magnussen may make it difficult for him to break back onto the grid, with new prospects continuously coming onto the scene. If one thing is clear, however, it is Schumacher’s passion for the sport and desire to keep pushing for a place on the grid. 

Mick Schumacher signs on for Mercedes reserve role. – Credit: Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1