Norbert Haug: ‘Everything is possible’ for Mick Schumacher at Mercedes

Norbert Haug, who formerly served as Mercedes Motorsport's Vice President, believes Mick Schumacher's move to the team is a 'stroke of luck', and 'everything is possible' if things work out.

Norbert Haug: ‘Everything is possible’ for Mick Schumacher at Mercedes

Mick Schumacher will be Mercedes' reserve driver in 2023

Of the three drivers left without a seat for 2023, two will remain connected to the paddock in a reserve/third driver role. Daniel Ricciardo will be at Red Bull as a ‘third driver’ and Mick Schumacher has been picked up by Mercedes for a reserve role. Both will have very different roles – It looks likely that Ricciardo will only be in the paddock a few races and mainly be utilized for commercial/marketing purposes. On the other hand, Schumacher will be in the paddock every race.

The German has a much better chance to return to the grid – He’ll be ever-present in the grid, he’s younger, and Mercedes have shown faith in him. That counts for something, at least. If either one of George Russell or Lewis Hamilton is unavailable, he will be the one stepping up to replace them. With that, he’ll get a run in what one can only assume to be a very competitive car. That’ll help him prove himself better.

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So, this is why Mercedes Motorsport’s former vice president Norbert Haug thinks the move is a ‘stroke of luck’ for Schumacher. When RND gave their ‘thesis’ that the young German may learn more with the Silver Arrows than he would have at Haas, Haug replied: “In my opinion, this is indeed a real stroke of luck for Mick, and Mercedes would do well to sign a German driver into its Formula 1 team.” Yes, perhaps if he impresses the team enough he will be tipped as Hamilton’s successor.

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Haug thinks Schumacher will ‘seize his opportunity’ at Mercedes: “Nothing is impossible if Mick concentrates, diligently and is willing to learn on the tasks assigned to him, and that’s exactly what I assume. He will seize this opportunity to learn and train with the very best and make the most of it.” This move is obviously quite a step up for the German organizationally – he has a much better (and larger) team around him now.

Related: “If you get the taste of the best there is…” Mick Schumacher not interested in any other racing series after getting ‘taste of the best’ F1

Haug’s advice for Mick Schumacher: ‘Head down’

Mick Schumacher (IMAGO / Motorsport Images)
Mick Schumacher (IMAGO / Motorsport Images)

Mick Schumacher was ousted from Haas as he failed to convince them. But another thing that played a part in his departure, in the words of Guenther Steiner, is ‘experience’ or the lack thereof. They simply believed they have a ‘shorter route to come up’ with Nico Hulkenberg. Yes, the German made a few costly mistakes, but in a sense, this was truly his first season in even a half-competitive car. He surely wasn’t flawless, but he’s still young, so he still has a chance to live his F1 dream.

If he gives a good account of himself with the Silver Arrows, and everything works out optimally, then Norbert Haug feels ‘everything is possible’ for Schumacher: “If everything works out as the parties involved imagine, then everything is possible for Mick. But first of all: head down, talk little and work all the more and all the harder and learn a lot in the process.”

Schumacher has a great opportunity at Mercedes and one that he will look to make the most of. There might be a future for him there, but even if he isn’t given the nod into the main team, remaining ever-present in the paddock is another advantage. If it doesn’t work out here, then there is potentially a place for him at Audi, who are looking for a German driver. But that’s at least 3 years to go – unless they use their growing influence on Sauber to place him there before they officially enter F1.

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