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The Schumacher name returns to F1! Reasons to look out for Mick Schumacher in 2021
In 2021 Mick Schumacher will make his debut in F1 for the Haas team. The 2020 Formula 2 champion has impressed many people in the F1 paddock with his rise and there will be several people interested in how the young German fares in his number 47 car. Here are some things you should be looking out for as Schumacher prepares to begin his F1 career…
The return of the Schumacher name
Mick Schumacher will be the third of the Schumacher family to race in Formula 1, after his father Michael and uncle Ralf. We had a return of the Fittipaldi name at the end of 2020 with Pietro making his debut for Haas, and now the American team are set to give the Schumacher name another run in F1. Don’t forget, Schumacher is still the most successful surname in F1, with Michael’s 91 victories adding to Ralf’s six to make 97, making it one of the few records Lewis Hamilton is yet to beat.
Lightning starts
On his charge to the 2020 Formula 2 title, Schumacher’s quick getaways became his trademark. The young German had his difficulties in qualifying in 2020, but more often than not he made up for it on the run into Turn 1. This was shown to perfection at Monza. Starting seventh, he got by far the best start of the front runners and moved up to second as they exited the first chicane. Schumacher would win the race, his first of the season and he would use the victory as a springboard to take the title.
Growing into the series
What’s clear from Schumacher’s career in the junior categories is that it takes him time to settle into the new cars. His first season in European F3 was a tough one, finishing 12th in the standings. However, in 2018 he would improve massively. Locked in a battle with Dan Ticktum for the title, Schumacher won all three races at the Nurburgring before taking two wins and a second place at the Red Bull Ring. Ticktum had no answer and Schumacher took the title. It was a similar story in Formula 2. In his first year in the series, Schumacher could again only manage 12th with just 53 points. But in 2020 Schumacher was a different beast. After a frustrating start to the season, Schumacher took feature race wins in Italy and Russia and was clearly the strongest driver in the field. This spell was crucial to edging out Callum Ilott in their duel for the title.
Super consistency
As mentioned before, when Schumacher gets on a roll, it’s hard to stop him. He won eight races in 12 towards the back end of the 2018 Formula 3 season and perhaps more impressively, took five podiums in a row last year in Formula 2. Schumacher scored points in every round, taking ten podiums, three more than anyone else. Whilst his three closest rivals, Ilott, Yuki Tsunoda and Robert Shwartzman all took more wins than him, it was Schumacher’s consistency that handed him the title and earned him the call up to Formula 1.