“He has to fight”
Ecclestone saw Mick Schumacher “in the wrong hands”
By Till Erdenberger
December 20, 2023, 11:03 a.m
Mick Schumacher is only marginally part of Formula 1. The former boss of the premier class also sees responsibility for this at Ferrari and Schumacher’s former team Haas: Schumacher was there “in the wrong hands,” says Bernie Ecclestone.
Bernie Ecclestone, the legendary former impresario of the premier class of motorsport, no longer has any operational say in Formula 1. The former boss still has a strong opinion on the processes surrounding the racing series, which he sold in 2016 for more than four billion US dollars. This also applies to the career of Mick Schumacher, whose father Michael rose to become one of the greatest idols in the history of motorsport in Ecclestone’s Formula 1. “I think so,” says Ecclestone in an exclusive interview with RTL/ntv and sport.de when asked whether the name Schumacher is a problem for Mick Schumacher. After two years as a regular driver for Haas, Schumacher had to vacate his cockpit with the US team at the end of the 2022 season; this season he is only a simulator driver and test driver for Mercedes.
In 2024, the 24-year-old will drive for Alpine in the World Endurance Championship (WEC). But of course the goal remains a regular place in Formula 1. “He has to fight, he has to stick with it and show that he is still in a position to deliver good performances. The people will then find him, and he doesn’t have to find the people that offer him the opportunity to race,” Ecclestone analyzed Schumacher’s situation. “In the best case scenario, you will see him and say: We need him. And not the other way around: that he is looking for someone who will take him in because of his name. He should forget his name and develop further as a person,” was the 93rd’s clear advice -year-old, who was managing director of Formula 1 until 2017.
“Costd us a fortune”
The first attempt to establish itself in Formula 1 failed. In the uncompetitive Haas, Schumacher was mostly far behind. In the first year he was at least able to distance himself from his teammate Nikita Mazepin, in the second season Schumacher produced expensive scrap in several serious accidents. “Another half a million euros worth of rubbish! That simply can’t happen on the last lap back to the pits,” team boss Günther Steiner once railed against his driver to “F1TV”. Team owner Gene Haas echoed the same sentiment: “I think Mick has a lot of potential, but you know he costs us a fortune and he wrecked a lot of cars.” At the end of their short time together there were few World Cup points and a lot of trouble. The contract with Schumacher was ultimately not renewed.
The way Schumacher was treated angered Ecclestone, who saw the young driver “in the wrong hands” at the beginning of his Formula 1 career. A clear swipe at Haas and team boss Günther Steiner, with whom Schumacher didn’t get off to a good start, and also against the Ferrari junior academy where Schumacher was trained. “At Red Bull, for example, he would have been better understood, they would have helped him and led him up,” Ecclestone is certain.
“Then it could happen…”
If Schumacher, who will also be part of Formula 1 as a test driver for Mercedes in 2024, now shows strong performance in the World Endurance Championship, the path could lead back to one of the scarce and highly sought-after cockpits in the premier class. Ecclestone believes that the detour via the WEC is probably “the only and best thing he can do at the moment.” It’s “good that he can show himself, ideally with good performances. Then it could happen that those responsible in Formula 1 rethink and say: ‘Maybe we made a mistake. We’ll try again,'” said the Briton.
However, the excursion into the new series will not be a sure-fire success. “A rough wind is blowing against Mick Schumacher in the WEC,” predicts RTL racing expert Felix Görner in an interview with sport.de/ntv.de. With manufacturers like Ferrari, Toyota and Porsche, the championship is “almost a who’s who” of motorsport. The newcomers Alpine and Schumacher, on the other hand, come into the series “as underdogs,” Görner clarifies.
“This will be a learning year, hopefully not an empty year. There are a lot of top drivers in the WEC who have been in long-distance racing for years and have proven themselves. Nobody is shaking now because Mick Schumacher is joining. You can’t have too many expectations of him set high. It’s a trial and error at first. I think Mick himself is excited to see how good he is with this rocket with a roof. Maybe by the season’s highlight at Le Mans in June he will have so much experience that he can play a good role can reach the finish line best.”