"You only know if you can win in a Mercedes when you are actually in it"

For a driver, it will be frustrating not to be able to show what you are capable of. That can start to gnaw, but Schumacher says he knows how to deal with it pretty well. He sees 2021 as a learning year, even though he was not able to compete for the points. He did have personal highlights by reaching Q2 twice.

From Auto, Motor und Sport Schumacher is asked if he dares to say that in another car he would be just as fast or perhaps faster than a driver currently in the cockpit there. The German replies in a neat way, "Everyone deserves their place in Formula 1. Everyone can drive here. You only know if you can win a race in a Mercedes when you are actually in it. It would be arrogant to say so [that he would perform better than some of his fellow competitors]."

Schumacher, part of the Ferrari junior program, is stuck with Haas F1 until the end of this calendar year. The intention is that the 22-year-old driver will eventually make to the main force from Maranello, but with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, the Italians are fried for now. At Alfa Romeo, Ferrari's other customer team, there are two newcomers this year with Guanyu Zhou and Valtteri Bottas, so options there too seem limited for after 2022.

For Schumacher, it is therefore to be hoped that his American employer will have his affairs in order for 2022. Last year was seen as an interim year, as no improvements were made compared to 2020. The focus was entirely on understanding the new regulations and, based on that, putting a competitive car on the grid for this season. In any case, the team of Guenther Steiner has already successfully passed the crash test.