Mick Schumacher ready to face his father's "old rivals"
Mick Schumacher will make his Formula 1 debut this season and with that, the legendary "MSC" initials will return to the sport. The son of the legendary Michael Schumacher has revealed his excitement for racing at the pinnacle of motorsports.
Speaking about his preparations for the Bahrain Grand Prix, Schumacher said:
“So happy that we're here, happy that we'll start tomorrow and then we'll go on from there… In general, we just have to take what we've learned from the first test, let's say, and try to really use that for this weekend."
Mick Schumacher also spoke about the shortened pre-season test and time lost.
“Obviously not having had as many days as we would usually, it's kind of sad because I love driving, I love racing, so not getting enough of it is kind of sad. Nevertheless, I think we've done what we could do in the short time we've had."
"Unfortunately we lost half a day, so for me, it's like one day of testing basically before my first race, which is not a lot, but we'll for sure take on the challenge and take it from there.”
Speaking about his debut, Mick Schumacher revealed he was super excited to compete against the drivers his father, Michael Schumacher, used to race against. He also conceded that it was amusing that they're still a part of Formula 1.
“I guess it's kind of funny to think about it. I guess it kind of shows that they've been in the sport for a while, and they've been obviously successful [given that they're still] here."
Speaking about his experiences with his father's rivals, Mick Schumacher said:
“I haven't driven with many of them in the test because I was mostly with some other guys."
"I was driving with Kimi and I know Kimi quite well from the track, and he's always very nice and it's very nice talking to him and getting obviously some info and tips here and there. So I'm looking forward to this season and it's going to be good.”
Mick Schumacher faces an uphill task this season
In many ways, Mick Schumacher will have his back against the wall this season. Haas has already revealed they will not be developing this year's car and will focus entirely on 2022. It will be difficult for the young German to showcase his skills behind the wheel this season. Haas are at the bottom of the pecking order, which leaves nobody other than Nikita Mazepin - his teammate - to race against.
Mick Schumacher should take this year as an opportunity to grow and gain experience in Formula 1. Nobody expects the rookie to set the field alight, and therefore he should focus on improving his driving ability and understanding the car.