Improvement in Schumachers speed led to increased Ferrari role

Mick Schumacher has been rewarded with a Ferrari reserve role in 2022 considering of the resurgence in speed he displayed with Haas last season.

Haas did not develop its 2021 car as it focused all of its resources on the new generation of Formula 1 car that will be introduced this year, but Schumacher in particular was regularly closer to the other team as the season progressed. Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto says the resurgence in pace the rookie showed played a part in his spare responsibilities for this coming year.

“He’s a Ferrari driver, we should not forget that,” Binotto said. “He has been part of our Ferrari Suburbanite Academy. The reason we have the Ferrari Suburbanite Academy is to identify the next Ferrari suburbanite for the future. Stuff part of it, if you are doing well, no doubt you may have opportunities.

“He’s had once one season in F1, which is important. Mick did well through the season — he improved himself not only in terms of consistency, but moreover in terms of speed. If you squint at the last races, he was a lot closer to the cars ahead, and Haas didn’t develop the car at all. The fact he was closer proved he had a good resurgence on speed.”

While the performance resurgence from Schumacher was one reason he was handed the uneaten role, Binotto says flipside is that he will have far increasingly regular wits of the new cars than the team’s other reserve suburbanite Antonio Giovinazzi.

“He will be driving 2022 cars next year — they will be a lot variegated to the current one in terms of driving style. It will be important to have one suburbanite who knows those cars stuff the reserve. I can count still on Antonio considering he has proved to be a good driver, Antonio will have a full program of simulator, in terms of bringing him up to speed in terms of 2022 driving style.”