Michael Schumacher vs Mick Schumacher contrast: “He’s different from his father," says Ross Brawn
Mick Schumacher has inherited his legendary father’s work ethic but there remain key differences, says Ross Brawn.
Michael Schumacher now is in Switzerland at the family home where he has been protected from public view since a 2013 skiing accident left him in a coma.
His son is continuing the family legacy in F1 but his chances of staying with Haas for the F1 2023 season have been rated as “50-50” by team principal Guenther Steiner.
Brawn, who worked with Michael at Ferrari and Benetton, told SPORT1 about Mick: “He’s different from his father, who was always on the limit straight away.
“Mick takes a bit longer, but in the end he won the titles in the junior classes.
“He’s very talented, has 100 percent adopted the work ethic from his father and is extremely capable of improving. That’s crucial.”
Mick Schumacher’s contract with Haas expires at the end of this season and the team are publicly courting potential replacements, including Daniel Ricciardo.
That leaves the young German scrapping to remain in the F1 2023 driver line-up with vacant seats dwindling.
“Mick has improved enormously this year,” Brawn said.
“He has a really good reference in Kevin Magnussen as a team-mate and he is now at an important crossroads in his career.
“He certainly deserves to take the next step in his career. And that’s what he’ll be judged on then.”
Schumacher may have the most successful former driver as a father, but he is not the only current second-generation driver.
Jos Verstappen was a teammate of Michael Schumacher in 1994 at Benetton and his son Max Verstappen could wrap up the championship at this weekend’s F1 Singapore Grand Prix if he can stretch his lead in the 2022 standings to an unassailable distance.
“Max’s big advantage over Mick is that his father was also a hero in the Netherlands but he didn’t win, wasn’t a seven-time world champion and isn’t an icon like Michael is in Germany,” said Brawn.
“Of course, this increases the pressure on Mick even more.”
What next for Mick Schumacher?
The vacant seats for next season are with Alpine, Williams and Alfa Romeo.
It remains possible that Haas give Schumacher a new contract but team boss Steiner has previously criticsed him for crashing too often, and has regularly mentioned alternative drivers.
Alpine need a new teammate for Esteban Ocon but prefer Pierre Gasly, while Ricciardo is an option.
Williams are considering Nyck de Vries or Logan Sargeant to replace Nicholas Latifi.
Zhou Guanyu is expected to renew with Alfa Romeo.
The declining amount of options make it a possibility that Schumacher will miss the 2023 season.
