Mick Schumacher is desperate to make sure that his Formula 1 career doesn’t consist entirely of two underwhelming campaigns with Haas.
The German has one of the most famous names in motor racing and after rising through the ranks earned his spot on the grid with Haas in 2021.
Unfortunately, it didn’t go to plan and in an interview with Sport Bild, former Ferrari team principal Jean Todt has explained why Mick Schumacher never quite made the grade in F1.
That isn’t to say that the Frenchman didn’t think that Schumacher deserved his place on the grid.
He’s suggested that the 25-year-old is better than half of the current drivers on the grid.
However, that doesn’t guarantee him a seat in 2025 even if he is linked with a return with one team next year.
Jean Todt explains why Mick Schumacher struggled in Formula 1
Back in 2020, Mick Schumacher went on a brilliant run in Formula 2 to defeat the likes of Yuki Tsunoda and Zhou Guanyu to win the championship.
That earned him a seat at Haas alongside fellow rookie Nikita Mazepin under the leadership of Guenther Steiner.
Unfortunately, the 2021 season didn’t go to plan for either Schumacher or Haas with the German only kept off the bottom of the Drivers’ Championship by his teammate despite not scoring a point.
While Mazepin was dropped for Kevin Magnussen, Schumacher was given one more year to prove he had the credentials to be a Formula 1 driver.
Unfortunately, Magnussen showed Haas what they were missing with more experienced drivers.
Schumacher scored 12 points that season but that was less than half of the tally Magnussen accumulated and Nico Hulkenberg was brought in last season to replace the son of one of Formula 1’s most successful drivers.
Todt has backed Schumacher to be more than quick enough to drive in Formula 1 in the future and explained why he thinks his first – and so far only – stint in the sport didn’t go to plan.
Mick Schumacher ‘too nice’ to thrive in Formula 1
Talking about the 25-year-old, Todt said: “I want to see him reach the goal of his dreams.
“Many people think that his surname is an advantage – but it has become a disadvantage.
“The expectations placed on him were unreasonable – and the car was not competitive. He was never able to show what potential he had.
“Of course, he had a few accidents, some of which were his own fault.
“Mick is better than half of the Formula 1 drivers.
“Mick has what it takes [for Formula 1] without question. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have won Formula 3 and Formula 2.”
Todt then suggested that Mick Schumacher may have been “too nice” for F1.
“Sometimes you have to use your elbows and I know from my time as team boss that a driver’s performance immediately suffers when he doesn’t feel well.”
Todt concluded that Schumacher “deserves a seat in Formula 1” although there are plenty of drivers not currently on the grid who may feel they should have a seat for next year.
Guenther Steiner has his say on Mick Schumacher’s F1 career
While Todt thought Schumacher was unfortunate with the car he had when driving for Haas, his old boss Guenther Steiner has provided his own verdict.
Steiner warned Alpine that they shouldn’t sign Schumacher for next season with potentially two seats available within the team and team principal Bruno Famin admitting it would be a mistake to rule him out.
On The Red Flags Podcast, he said: “In the moment not, no. I think, as I said, you need to get the best driver you know is out of there.
“It’s one of these things. I think people were just showing that they are very good, and as a works team you need to do the best you can.”
Steiner comments haven’t gone down well with some people, although Schumacher’s performances in WEC with Alpine this year haven’t blown anyone away.
Alpine had a poor 24 Hours at Le Mans which snatched another opportunity away from Schumacher to impress potential employers, but in the world of F1, anything can happen.
The post ‘Immediately suffers’: Jean Todt now explains why he thinks Mick Schumacher’s F1 career didn’t go to plan appeared first on F1 Oversteer.