Ecclestone: 'Schumacher would be better understood at Red Bull'
General
- Toby McLuskie
Bernie Ecclestone thinks it is a shame to see the Schumacher name disappear from Formula 1 again. Former Ferrari junior Mick Schumacher was given a chance at Haas F1 for two seasons, did not make enough of an impression and was subsequently shown the door. According to the 93-year-old Ecclestone, that really wasn't just down to the talented German.
Schumacher in F1
That Schumacher is no cakewalk is clear from his achievements prior to his F1 debut in 2021. In 2018, he won the Formula 3 championship; two years later, he crowned himself champion in Formula 2. The son of Michael Schumacher did always need some time to adapt to new cars in a new championship, but once he got going, he was fast.
So the fact that he did not immediately leave the greatest impression in his rookie season - in an uncompetitive Haas F1 car - was perhaps already factored in. However, the desired improvement did not materialise in his second season in US service. Without winter preparation, teammate Kevin Magnussen was often the faster of the two.
Schumacher was not offered a new contract at Haas F1 and the partnership with Ferrari ended. He moved to Mercedes before eventually ending up in the WEC at Alpine via the role of reserve driver in 2024. There he will drive the hypercar next year. But - Ecclestone believes - if Schumacher had driven at Red Bull Racing, he would still be active in the pinnacle of motorsport today.
Criticism of Ferrari and Haas F1
"He would have been better understood at Red Bull, for example, where he would have been helped and coached to the top," said Ecclestone, who does not know if Schumacher will ever return to Formula 1 via this route. "He has to fight, he has to persevere and show that he is still capable of good performances. At best, people will then see him and say: we need him. And not the other way around: that he is looking for someone to hire him because of his name. He needs to forget his name and develop as a person."
The former Formula 1 owner does understand Schumacher's choice of long-distance racing. "It is probably the only and best thing he can do at the moment," Ecclestone said. The 24-year-old German does remain active for Mercedes as a reserve driver, although he will no longer be able to attend all Grands Prix due to his WEC commitments.
Following his departure from Haas F1 at the end of 2022, Franz Tost still tried to attract Schumacher to AlphaTauri. However, Helmut Marko opted for Nyck de Vries, who ended up lasting less than half a season.