米克·舒马赫’s cousin details Nikita Mazepin role in his Formula 1 demise
米克·舒马赫’s chances of Formula 1 success were scuppered by having an under-performing team-mate in Nikita Mazepin in his first season with Haas, which meant he had no one to push his development.
That’s according to his cousin David Schumacher, the son of former F1 driver and six-time grand prix winner Ralf Schumacher.
Schumacher and Mazepin were team-mates in 2021 with Haas having opted for an all-rookie line-up, but two years down the line neither driver is even on the grid, never mind still with the team.
‘Nikita Mazepin wasn’t a benchmark for Mick Schumacher to learn’
Although neither Haas rookie scored a single point in their debut campaign, Haas deciding to focus on the drivers and not the car, Schumacher was clearly the faster of the two.
在两位队友的比赛,他是11to three ahead of Mazepin, while also pulling off a qualifying whitewash over the Russian driver.
But with Mazepin dropped during 2022’s pre-season testing, Schumacher found himself up against a new team-mate in the experienced Kevin Magnussen. He lost that by 25 points to 12, and 16-6 in qualifying.
Haas made the call not to renew Schumacher’s contract for a third season with his cousin believing having Mazepin as his team-mate in his first season cost the German in terms of developing as a driver.
“Mick’s problem was that he couldn’t really compete with his team-mate Nikita Mazepin in his debut year. Both were newcomers and Mazepin, who he dominated, was no benchmark,” he toldSport1.
“But as a young driver you urgently need that in order to develop.
“Only in his second year did he have a strong driver as a team-mate in Kevin Magnussen. I don’t think Haas gave him enough time to develop under the circumstances because Formula 1 is incredibly complicated.
“Luckily he can now learn everything in peace at Mercedes that he couldn’t at Haas. I hope he gets another chance. If so, then he will convince, I’m sure.”
Dropped by Haas, Schumacher signed with Mercedes as their official reserve driver with the German dreaming of a return to the grid come 2024.
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The Schumacher names has ‘advantages but also disadvantages’
With Schumacher’s final season with Haas blighted by three big crashes and only two points-scoring results, his cousin concedes racing with the ‘Schumacher’ name often means the spotlight is a lot harsher.
“It does have advantages but also disadvantages,” Schumacher said. “This may sound strange to some, but it is true.
“In the junior categories it was definitely not a disadvantage. The name Schumacher absolutely opened doors.
“On the other hand, people take a closer look at a Schumacher. Mistakes like now at the Norisring are – let’s call it that – by one or the other trying to exploit in the media. The positive things tend to get lost there. That’s a shame, but can’t be changed.”
The 21-year-old DTM racer added: “As far as the competitors on the track are concerned, you can sometimes get the feeling that the others are thinking: ‘Here comes little Schumacher, but I won’t let him pass.’
“Or how recently a quote was completely taken out of context because I replied that Lewis Hamilton, like my father or my uncle, is one of my role models. I have to live with that, I have to fight with it and that’s what I’m doing. Fortunately, I also have my father at my side, whose experience and network I can fall back on from time to time.”
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