Mick Schumacher downplayed the effect of Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari contract extension on his own future in Formula 1, claiming it does not change much for him.
The young Schumacher is a member of the Ferrari young driver’s academy, and his tenure at Haas is seen by many as preparation for the driver before his potential debut in Red in the future.
With Ferrari extending Sainz’s contract until the end of 2024 season, that means Schumacher will have to wait at least that much before even thinking about his own promotion.
The news of Sainz’s contract extension was announced ahead of the 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, and when asked about it Schumacher said: “I think it’s the obvious step for Ferrari.
“They have two great drivers, and Carlos obviously had a great season last year and also had a pretty good few races this year.
“So yeah, it was clear. For me, it doesn’t really change much as my job is to do my best here now.
“And that’s with Haas right now,” the German added,
Schumacher’s Imola weekend marred by mistakes
The jury is out whether Schumacher has what it takes to be considered for a Ferrari seat, or win a Championship in F1, as despite comprehensively beating his former Haas teammate Nikita Mazepin, the 23-year-old is yet to show the same superiority with his current teammate Kevin Magnussen.
His weekend at Imola was not good to say the least, as despite qualifying 12th – Magnussen qualified fourth – and finishing the Sprint Race in tenth place, he spun twice at the start of the race, his second spin was into Fernando Alonso ruining the Spaniard’s race.
Ralf Schumacher, the Haas driver’s uncle did not mince his words when weighing in on his nephew’s race at Imola,
“He did a good job in dry conditions, and the result in the Sprint was great, but there were too many mistakes in the race,” he wrote in his column for Sky Sport Germany.
“Starting in rainy conditions is difficult. Even Daniel Ricciardo slid wide (on Lap 1, taking out Carlos Sainz). It can happen to anyone,” the former F1 driver added.
“But the second mistake was just too much. It has to be said that this shouldn’t happen. He just has to review the whole weekend to gain experience and do better.
“In the next few races, he also has to finish ahead of Magnussen, but Mick gets along better with new tracks. He has already shown that.
“That’s why I expect something from him [at the next Grand Prix] in Miami,” Ralf, who is a six-time grand prix winner predicted.