“Lately, he’s been super hard to beat” Kevin Magnussen gives his two cents on Mick Schumacher’s F1 future

Mick Schumacher’s Formula 1 future is very much in doubt. His teammate, Kevin Magnussen came back with all cylinders firing, but the German was a little slow to get started. He has also been rather expensive – with big crashes in Jeddah (which meant he could not start the race and Monaco. While he impressed Silverstone and Austria, it’s been a while.

Gene Haas has made it clear that Schumacher Jr. needs to score points in order to stay with the team, but the team, even Magnussen, have not had a sniff of the points for more than 3 months now. Regardless, Schumacher’s performances have been improving vis-à-vis his teammate, and Kevin Magnussen backs him to stay on the grid.

As per Formula1.com, Magnussen said: “First of all, I haven’t had any influence on what’s been going on with drivers – that’s totally out of my hands. If I just look at Mick, I think he’s really been improving all year. He started off maybe not really liking the car and lacking a bit of confidence, but he’s really gained that.”

While he acknowledges that Schumacher deserves a spot on the grid, the Dane also made it clear that it’s out of his hands: “Lately, he’s been super hard to beat, for me. I think, [with] the way he’s driving right now, he definitely deserves a place on the grid. But again, it’s totally out of my hands, and I can only sort of just wish him well.”

Also Read: “If he wants to stay with us”: Gene Haas reveals what the team requires of Mick Schumacher

Where does Mick Schumacher’s future lie?

Mick Schumacher is between a rock and a hard place. Guenther Steiner has been very public about his interest in Daniel Ricciardo, even if that is unlikely to be reciprocated. Another option is Nico Hülkenberg, who did reveal that he has been increasing his training intensity, in preparation for a ‘potential’ Formula 1 seat. Pietro Fittipaldi would be another option, but Steiner stated earlier that he’s ‘done’ with rookies.

Jost Capito, the team principal of Williams has expressed some interest in the German. But it’s all a bit touch and go. Even there, Logan Sargeant is said to be the favourite to join the team, a rumour that has been backed by Mark Webber. The fact that he’s American just adds to his chances, and Webber also said Liberty Media, F1’s American owners, are ‘pretty keen’ on him.

But Logan Sargeant will need to finish fifth or above in Formula 2 in order to have the necessary amount of superlicense points to drive in F1. As it stands, he’s third, but the gap down to sixth is only 9 points. There’s one race weekend to go, in Abu Dhabi. If he isn’t able to do what is required, Schumacher’s chances will receive a boost. But by that point, it’s possible that he may have already extended with Haas.

Also Read: “He can be trusted in good times and bad”: Kevin Magnussen commends Guenther Steiner’s honesty

Also Read: ‘I’m done with rookies,’ Guenther Steiner rules out new talent partnering Kevin Magnussen for 2023

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