Schumacher counters Haas axe verdict

Ewan Gale
Friday 2 December 2022 14:23

Mick Schumacher believes he "extracted the maximum" during his time in F1 with Haas.

The German is without a drive for next year after Haas opted to sign Nico Hülkenberg as a replacement, despite the former Aston Martin reserve's three-year sabbatical without a full-time role.

Schumacher endured a tough rookie season as Haas opted to effectively run its 2020 car in 2021 in a bid to focus on the new aerodynamic regulations for this year.

Although the VF-22 offered points-scoring opportunities, former F2 champion Schumacher initially struggled before finally managing to clinch top-10 finishes in Britain and Austria.

"I feel like I did a good job," said Schumacher. "On the other hand, the team decided to go that way so I have to respect that, and I'm now focused on the future.

"We had our ups and downs but the trend was always pointing upwards and that's what's important, and it was only my second year in Formula 1."

Suggesting Haas' decision to cast aside the 2021 season penalised him, he added: "Last year, I don't even know if you can really count it as a year because obviously, it was a tough one. We were only at the back.

"It was definitely something I had to get used to [this year], being in the midfield pack fighting.

"I feel that across the year we managed to do that and I feel like I extracted the maximum out of each situation, I'd say.

"So yeah, I feel that the trend was there."