Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto expects Mick Schumacher will continue his trend of beginning to show his potential in his second season upon stepping up to Formula 1.
The son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher and current Formula 2 champion will make his debut with Haas next year, a team who languished in ninth in the Constructors’ Championship in 2020.
Starting his career at a lowly team though is being seen as a benefit given the pressure and expectation the 21-year-old has on his shoulders.
But for those who expect Schumacher, who is a Ferrari junior, to step up and immediately turn F1 on its head, Binotto has this warning.
“I think it will be very difficult for him at the start,” he was quoted by Reuters in an online end-of-season press gathering.
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“If I look at his past experience in both F2 and F3, normally he is delivering his best in the second season and not the first.
“I think Mick, the way he has developed himself, is learning a lot in the first season and becomes very strong in the second half of the second season. That’s why I think two seasons will be important for him.
“But already in the second, I’m expecting to see progress compared to the first one.”
That being said, the Ferrari chief doesn’t think that gives Schumacher a free pass for next season.
“I’m really expecting him to prove how fast he is in an F1 context, both in qualifying and the race, to prove he is very strong in race pace and consistent in terms of bringing the car home in a good position,” Binotto added.
Schumacher’s main competition will be against his controversial teammate Nikita Mazepin, who also steps up from F2.
And former F1 driver turned pundit David Coulthard thinks Mick has to quickly establish himself over the Russian.
“Haas will be a safe place for him to learn,” the Scot told the Daily Express. “I don’t think he will struggle in beating Mazepin – if he does, then he has a problem.
“If he doesn’t then … in a couple of years he could earn the opportunity to be with either Ferrari or another team,” he added. “It all depends on [current Ferrari drivers] Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.”