‘What would you be if you weren’t a Formulation 1 driver?’
It appears as if the very idea by no means even occurred to him. His inexperienced eyes start to dart frantically backward and forward as if considering an audacious double-overtake into Flip 1.
He hesitates earlier than finally blurting out: “Racing somewhere else.. I guess?”
‘What if you weren’t in motorsport in any respect?’
One other pause, earlier than he can solely joke: “Racing people on the streets, or whatever..?”
If you’re the son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher, it’s comprehensible if following his footsteps into the cockpit of the planet’s quickest race vehicles has all the time felt like your future.
An equally understandable plan of action is perhaps to steer away from the pressures and expectations that include the burden of the Schumacher title and the staggering seven world championships connected to it.
However when racing is so deeply ingrained in your DNA that the very prospect of doing the rest is unfathomable, there was just one street Mick was ever going to take.
Nonetheless, following his championship-winning success in each Formulation 3 and Formulation 2, his first foray into the top of motorsport with Haas F1 was one thing of a combined bag.
He did not register some extent in his rookie season however constantly out-performed team-mate Nikita Mazepin.
And whereas he scored 12 factors in his second marketing campaign, together with a powerful P6 in Austria, new team-mate Kevin Magnussen doubled that tally. A collection of pricey crashes additionally contributed to Haas deciding to exchange him with returning veteran Nico Hulkenberg for the 2023 season.
Nonetheless, Schumacher isn’t straying too removed from the motion and is trying ahead to creating a major contribution to Mercedes’ efforts this 12 months.
“Because I’ve raced last year’s car, I have a much better understanding of the tyre model and also the car model,” the German driver factors out.
“In order that’s one thing I can suggestions immediately into the simulator and draw that direct comparability.
“Hopefully, during the year I’ll be able to pick out some moments and help the drivers if I see something.”
The truth that he’s landed at Mercedes at this cut-off date feels serendipitous as nicely. Each him and the staff are within the strategy of getting again on observe.
With regard to that, Mercedes and the tradition they’ve inculcated over the previous decade that introduced whole dominance within the turbo-hybrid period, is probably precisely the place Schumacher must be.
He recognises how the staff stands aside with how they function and has nice respect for the form of mentality that fuels their drive for fulfillment.
“I feel the skilled aspect undoubtedly stands out. How they method a race weekend but additionally simply small issues like media occasions is wonderful.
“You really recognise why they’ve been able to get eight constructors championships in a row. That really shows the mentality and how they’re able to consistently put in the work and effort.”
Nonetheless solely 23, Schumacher can have earned invaluable expertise throughout a testing time at Haas and discovered classes that may little doubt maintain him in good stead transferring ahead.
New alternatives will current themselves and Schumacher is decided to grab them wholeheartedly.
“My goal is to be back in a car as soon as I can and back on the grid.”
For somebody so single-minded of their ambitions, that appears inevitable.
And, as has been well-established, there’s actually nothing else he’d quite do.
