F1 News: Mick Schumacher reveals setup struggles at Haas
Mick Schumacher has revealed that issues with his VF-22's setup impacted his performance early in the season until he made the necessary adjustments with Haas.
The 23-year-old's start to the 2022 F1 campaign proved extremely difficult, as Magnussen secured significantly better results over the first five race weekends.
Schumacher initially lacked the pace and consistency to match his teammate's efforts, throwing away crucial opportunities for points at weekends such as Saudi Arabia and Imola.
Haas bemoaned the cost damage Mick Schumacher accumulated in the first part of the season, with Guenther Steiner emphasising its negative impact on the team's development.
Despite this, Schumacher made notable improvements as the year developed and significantly reduced the performance gap to Magnussen.
Speaking in an interview with AMuS, the youngster explained the difficulties he encountered in his second campaign with Haas:
"We got lost with the car setup at the beginning but then caught on relatively quickly...
"From the Canadian GP, I had a car that suited me, and we continuously improved.
"The real breakthrough took place in Canada... At some point, Kevin also jumped over to my setup."
This insight provides an interesting new perspective on Mick's performance this year, considering that his explanation is generally consistent with his improved form.
Unfortunately, Haas was unsatisfied with Schumacher's progression in 2023 - instead opting to sign Nico Hulkenberg to partner with Kevin Magnussen.
The American squad has received significant criticism on social media for this decision, with some sections of F1 fans uninterested in Hulkenberg returning.
Generally, these criticisms of Hulkenberg dismiss his performances in F1, which - quite uncontroversially - show him to be faster and more consistent than Kevin Magnussen.
Haas's decision to sign the 35-year-old is not necessarily incorrect, but the team handled Schumacher's departure quite poorly.
For example, setting points as a minimum requirement for Mick - at a stage in the year when the VF-22 was significantly less competitive - seemed a baffling criterion for Haas to use.
Additionally, the drawn-out nature of the decisions between Schumacher and Hulkenberg was unnecessary.
In any case, the next twelve months will be crucial for Schumacher if he is to find a route back to the F1 grid in 2024.