Bernie Ecclestone suggests Mick Schumacher name is a hindrance to his F1 career

Mick Schumacher, Bernie Ecclestone — Photo: © LAT Images

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Ecclestone suggests Schumacher name is a hindrance to his F1 career

The former F1 CEO believes the 24-year-old's career has been mismanaged

Tyler Rowlinson

Tuesday 19 December 2023 20:57

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Bernie Ecclestone has suggested that the career of Mick Schumacher has been mismanaged and that his legendary surname is holding him back.

There was a lot of excitement back in 2021 when the Schumacher name returned to the F1 grid, with Mick joining Haas through his connection with Ferrari.

But despite the hype and a title-winning season in Formula 2 the year prior, Haas struggled at the back and Schumacher managed only 12-points across two seasons with the team, alongside Nikita Mazepin and Kevin Magnussen.

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Schumacher was replaced by Nico Hulkenberg for 2023 and became a test driver for Mercedes. The 24-year-old will return to racing for the 2024 season, heading to the World Endurance Championship for the Alpine team.

Mick Schumacher scored only 12 points in his two years with Haas

The Mercedes reserve driver will race in the WEC for 2024

Ecclestone: Forget the Schumacher name

But former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone believes that Schumacher’s career up to this point has been mismanaged by Haas and Ferrari.

“He has to fight, he has to stick with it and show that he is still in a position to deliver good performances,” he told Sport.de.

“The people will then find him, and he doesn’t have to find the people who offer him the opportunity to race.

“In the best-case scenario, people will see him and say: We need him. And not the other way around: he is looking for someone who will take him in because of his name.

“He should forget his name and develop as a person.

Bernie Ecclestone says Schumacher must fight for his return to F1

“At Red Bull, for example, he would have been better understood, they would have helped him and led him up.

Asked if Schumacher’s path to the WEC was the right step, he added: “That’s 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."

“The difficult question is: How and when?”