Mick Schumacher initially wants to return to the family ranch in Texas. The USA-Mexico trip should result in a positive letter of application for a new contract with the American Formula 1 racing team Haas. The bosses had demanded points. But that didn’t work out at the Mexican Grand Prix either. A maximum of two races remain if a decision is not made earlier. The realization: sometimes the car works, sometimes not. But there were other lessons. Both with Mick Schumacher and with others.
Mick Schumacher’s qualification consolation
Not everything was bad. “A good qualifying lap, even if it didn’t count,” said Mick Schumacher, taking positive insights with him. He had been in sixth place for a short time, then it was deleted. He had driven over the lane limit. On at least one lap, the Haas car had shown itself to be competitive. Ultimately it was only enough for 16th place in the qualification.
Mick Schumacher’s racing reality
The starting position was bad. In the race it went even worse, in the end it was 16th place. Mick Schumacher was asked by the Sky broadcaster when he noticed that nothing was working. “First round,” he replied promptly. “Even if we had had a good start, we would have been handed down,” said Mick Schumacher. The speed was just not there. In both cars – teammate Kevin Magnussen, who had to start from second to last place because of a grid penalty, finished 17th behind his German teammate.
Mick Schumacher’s hope for the future
On Monday he wanted to fly back to the family ranch in Texas. From there it should go to the Swiss adopted country shortly before the weekend. “We’ll see” whether a decision will be made about his future with the Haas racing team before the Brazilian Grand Prix in two weeks’ time, said Mick Schumacher. He also reckons Mexico’s disappointing result “won’t play a huge factor in contract talks”.
Mexico’s Formula 1 spectacle: There is a party atmosphere. Almost 400,000 people attended the race weekend. An atmosphere like in Bundesliga derbies, passion and joie de vivre. Just one thing, it’s the same at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez: the circuit isn’t exactly predestined for spectacular races. Hardly any overtaking manoeuvres, the most tension resulted from the tire changes.
Mercedes is back
What would have happened if the Silver Arrows had chosen a different tire strategy – like Red Bull’s, for example: Open. But the bosses knew only too well afterwards that the one they had chosen wasn’t optimal. “So we grabbed the toilet,” said team boss Toto Wolff. Whether the outstanding Max Verstappen could have been beaten with the same choice of tires remains unanswered. But the Silver Arrow got better and better over the months. “The pace of the car would have been there,” said Wolff. The racing team, which had to cede the World Championship to Red Bull after eight constructors’ titles in a row, should already be looking to next year with growing confidence. Especially because Hamilton made it clear in Mexico that his mission in Formula 1 is far from over at almost 38 years old. He is aiming for a new multi-year contract.
