Mick Schumacher has been reserve driver to Lewis Hamilton and George Russell at Mercedes this year after losing his F1 race seat with Haas at the end of the 2022 season
Mick Schumacher says his experience as Mercedes’ reserve driver has taught him that all Formula 1 racers “have the same insecurities”.
The German racer spent the 2023 season as backup to Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. Mercedes moved quickly to snap him up after he was axed by Haas following two seasons racing for the backmarker team.
To assist his team in getting their cars ready for each race weekend, Schumacher has spent a lot of time in the simulator in his capacity. In addition, he supported the work being done in the garage by attending races and remaining available in case Mercedes suddenly needed a replacement racer.
He has had the opportunity to work with two of the best drivers on the grid and witness firsthand how one of Formula One’s elite operations operates behind the scenes. And in a recent interview, he discussed his findings.
“I believe that people tend to forget—I knew this, but it’s still something you don’t think about too much—that everyone is human and shares the same fears,” he stated to the official Formula One website.
That was the most important lesson I learned. This page contains the answers to some of the questions I had when I was driving alone. that everyone experiences hardships, particularly when racing, and that was a wonderful experience.
“But you already know that their methods are a big part of why they are as successful as they are. It’s fantastic to see Lewis, too, as he has been a part of the team for a long time. His bond with the group allows them to communicate without words and understand one another, which is something I believe is really unique.”
In order to secure a race seat for the 2024 season, Schumacher had hoped that his Mercedes role and the fact that it would keep him in the paddock would be beneficial. However, every one of the ten teams will begin the upcoming season with the same drivers they had at the beginning of this one, with the exception of AlphaTauri, who added Daniel Ricciardo mid-season.
As a result, the German will stay with the Silver Arrows in his backup capacity. However, he also intends to return to competitive racing after signing a contract with Alpine to compete in the World Endurance Championship with the French automaker.
Schumacher participated in an official Pirelli tire test on Tuesday at Magny-Cours. In the final official race with the team’s W14 car, he ran 90 laps on intermediate and wet tires.
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