Haas F1 feels ‘honour and pressure’ bringing back Schumacher name
Bringing the Schumacher name back to Formula 1 in 2021 through Formula 2 champion Mick is “an honour” for Haas, but also brings “a lot of pressure”, reckons team boss Gunther Steiner.
Schumacher will step up to F1 this year after winning last year’s F2 title, joining the Haas team alongside fellow rookie Nikita Mazepin.
Schumacher is the son of seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher, and moves into the series nine years after his father’s retirement from motorsport.
Haas F1 chief Steiner said that while it was an honour for the team to play a role in Schumacher Jr’s graduation and the return of the family to the grid, he was under no illusions of the added spotlight that would be on the team.
“The Schumacher name, through Michael, is a legend in Formula 1,” Steiner told Motorsport.com.
“To get his son in is fantastic, and I think it is an honour for us. If I think back to when Michael was driving, he had this aura [about him], and now we have his son in our team.
“I think for a young team, we do things right and we do things wrong, but we always try to do our best whatever it is.
“To have [Mick] is actually an honour, but it comes with a lot of pressure as well. I’m fully aware of that and not under any illusions.
“We will do our best to fulfil our duty to move him onto bigger things in life.”
Schumacher is a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, with his move to Haas acting a sign of the closer ties set to be enjoyed between the two teams from 2021.
The 21-year-old clinched the F2 title at the final round in Bahrain, defeating fellow FDA member Callum Ilott and Red Bull youngster Yuki Tsunoda.
Steiner felt the added boost of having the F2 title under his belt would help Schumacher through his rookie season in F1, helping his confidence through tough times.
“It is a big statement, and I think it is good for the confidence level of anybody to win a championship as competitive as F2 was [in 2020],” said Steiner.
“Like every championship, you have good years when it is more competitive and years when it is less [competitive]. I think [2020] was a very competitive one. It was fought over until the last race.
“For him, coming in as a champion will give him that initial confidence when he may be be struggling in F1 because everything is new.
“He can always go back and say he was the F2 champion. All these things help when coming to F1.”
Related video
Aston Martin: Vettel can help bring out the best in Stroll
How a fallen Red Bull F1 hope became a Porsche great
Why 2022 could be Leclerc's best chance to end his Monaco F1 curse
Charles Leclerc's ill-fortune at his home Formula 1 race is well-established. But his single lap pace and over longer runs during Friday practice will leave the Ferrari driver upbeat that he can make up for his Barcelona disappointment by finally recording a finish and perhaps even banking 25 world championship points in Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix...
The inevitable consequence of the Liberty F1 popularity boom
Sell out crowds at Formula 1 races are the norm rather than the exception these days, as grand prix racing is enjoying a massive boom under Liberty Media. But the Spanish Grand Prix highlighted numerous issues some circuits may face as demand for F1 soars
The danger for Red Bull in its Barcelona F1 team orders choice
OPINION: Red Bull walked into a team orders saga on its way to taking a Spanish Grand Prix 1-2 last weekend, where it took the lead of the 2022 Formula 1 world championships for the first time. But its decisions have added an element of risk to later races.
Why Mercedes' Spanish GP gains aren't as grand as they seemed
Mercedes' strong showing in last weekend's Spanish Grand Prix prompted team boss Toto Wolff to say it had halved its deficit to the leaders and its Formula 1 title chances were back on after a rocky start to the 2022 campaign. But a closer inspection of the team's performance suggests its gains aren't as grand as they first appeared
What's next for the Green Red Bull controversy?
From the 'pink Mercedes' to the 'Green Red Bull', the Silverstone-based team has received suspicious glares from up and down the Formula 1 paddock over its car design exploits. But after being cleared by the FIA over its Spanish Grand Prix updates amid a backdrop of cries of foul play, what's next in this saga?
Spanish Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2022
In an unusually hectic Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc was denied a dominant performance by his Ferrari engine letting go which allowed Max Verstappen to pick up the pieces. But numerous flashpoints kept the race twisting and turning throughout, with one perfect score from an emerging contender
How Verstappen overcame his and Red Bull’s errors to win in Spain
Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari engine disaster offered an open goal for Max Verstappen and Red Bull to strike, but the reigning Formula 1 world champion still had to solve multiple errors and profit from a begrudged assist from team-mate Sergio Perez, which created an unexpectedly eventful Spanish Grand Prix
Why Red Bull can win a Spanish GP that looked perfect for Ferrari
Formula 1's return to Spain on Friday ended with Ferrari leading the way from Mercedes, while Red Bull could only manage third fastest overall courtesy of Max Verstappen. But its chances of victory are far from remote with a deeper dig into the times despite Ferrari's strong start...