Schumacher sitting in a "crooked position" in Haas F1 car
Mick Schumacher has revealed that he has been “sitting in a crooked position” in his Haas Formula 1 car since the beginning of the 2021 season.


The German driver says the situation does not impact his driving performance and that his team plans to implement a fix after the summer break, which ends with the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa in late August.
Schumacher explained the situation after being asked about a video that surfaced after last weekend’s French GP at Paul Ricard, where he was filmed by his car’s cockpit camera showing his friend Sebastian Vettel something in the cockpit.
Speaking in the pre-event press conference for this weekend’s Styrian GP, and sitting alongside Vettel, Schumacher said: “So basically, I’ve been sitting in a crooked position since the beginning of the season – just because the seat is central, but I am not straight.
“We’ve actually been talking about it before and I took the opportunity to show him.
“[We] just spoke about the seat and I think he gave my Mum the tip of maybe breaking it so I would get a new one sooner!
“But it didn’t happen in the end, so I’ve still got the same seat for now.”
Vettel added: “It would’ve been in difficult to get a new one in a week, so don’t always follow the advice I give!
“The key is very simple – I spent so many years racing and we spoke about the seat during the last week and there’s always small things you can improve or look at, so I wanted to have a looked and we had a look.”
Schumacher also stated that when he was in the cockpit “it’s just about for me trying to find the right position”.
“Not being symmetrical is something that I have to work on, but it’s hard to achieve in a short amount of time,” he added.
“But plans are there to change the seat in the near future.”
Read Also:
When asked why Haas had not addressed the situation with his seat, Schumacher replied: “It’s not as bad as maybe some might think.
“It’s a small offset, it’s something that I’ve been used too, let’s say, also in junior categories.
“And to be fair it doesn’t harm me in any way when driving.
“So, it’s something that for us right now is a secondary concern – for us it’s mostly about trying to get everything ready for the weekends and being prepared on that level and maybe setting out focus on something else instead of wasting it on something that is maybe not effecting me right now.
“But, as I said, it’s something that is in the plan and we’ll for sure after the summer break come back with something that might be a bit more centred.
“But, again, we’ve been working on it in the beginning of the season quite a lot, we’ve got to something that was comfortable enough for me to keep going.
“So, we just kept it, or we left it with that.”
Related video

Gravel moved closer to the track at Red Bull Ring’s Turn 6
How F1's biggest crisis helped trigger its exciting 2021 season

Latest news
Third-generation McRae to tackle Junior European Rally Championship
Max McRae will make the next step in his fledgling rallying career by taking on the Junior class in the European Rally Championship this season.
Kvyat and Bortolotti join Prema's expanded WEC line-up for 2023
Ex-Formula 1 driver Daniil Kvyat and factory Lamborghini racer Mirko Bortolotti have been named as part of Prema’s two-car line-up for the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship season.
How Driver’s Eye camera became a Formula 1 TV gamechanger
Formula 1 broadcasting has undergone many major advancements in the past decade in a push to better inform fans and enrich their viewing experience.
Hazelwood reflects on maiden Gen3 test
Todd Hazelwood has walked away from a highly-scrutinised first team Gen3 test excited by the latest generation of Supercars hardware.
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
Who were the fastest drivers in F1 2022?
Who was the fastest driver in 2022? Everyone has an opinion, but what does the stopwatch say? Obviously, differing car performance has an effect on ultimate laptime – but it’s the relative speed of each car/driver package that’s fascinating and enlightening says ALEX KALINAUCKAS
Nico Hulkenberg: Why F1's nearly man is refreshed and ready for his return
He has more starts without a podium than anyone else in Formula 1 world championship history, but Nico Hulkenberg is back for one more shot with Haas. After spending three years on the sidelines, the revitalised German is aiming to prove to his new team what the F1 grid has been missing.
Why Vasseur relishes 'feeling the pressure' as Ferrari's F1 boss
OPINION: Fred Vasseur has spent only a few weeks as team principal for the Ferrari Formula 1 team, but is already intent on taking the Scuderia back to the very top. And despite it being arguably the most demanding job in motorsport, the Frenchman is relishing the challenge
The crucial tech changes F1 teams must adapt to in 2023
Changes to the regulations for season two of Formula 1's ground-effects era aim to smooth out last year’s troubles and shut down loopholes. But what areas have been targeted, and what impact will this have?
Are these the 50 quickest drivers in F1 history?
Who are the quickest drivers in Formula 1 history? Luke Smith asked a jury of experienced and international panel of experts and F1 insiders. Some of them have worked closely with F1’s fastest-ever drivers – so who better to vote on our all-time top 50? We’re talking all-out speed here rather than size of trophy cabinet, so the results may surprise you…
One easy way the FIA could instantly improve F1
OPINION: During what is traditionally a very quiet time of year in the Formula 1 news cycle, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been generating headlines. He’s been commenting on massive topics in a championship that loves them, but also addressing necessary smaller changes too. Here we suggest a further refinement that would be a big boon to fans
How can McLaren keep hold of Norris?
Lando Norris is no longer the young cheeky-chappy at McLaren; he’s now the established ace. And F1's big guns will come calling if the team can’t give him a competitive car. Here's what the team needs to do to retain its prize asset
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.