The puzzle pieces are now “falling into place” for Mick Schumacher after the previous “tension” at Haas.
Having finally scored his first points in Formula 1 with P8 at Silverstone, the German followed that up with an impressive P6 a week later in Austria, earning a Driver of the Day accolade in the process.
Those results have completely turned around what had been a tricky season for Schumacher beforehand, blighted by hefty crashes in Saudi Arabia and in Monaco.
With Mick admitting it had caused some unease.
“Yes there was tension, but that’s normal,” he told Channel 4. “We all want to score points and I think that’s part of the frustration and I understand that.
Also Read:
“Obviously places like Jeddah where the car was broken, is something quite expensive to us and therefore I do understand that, but it is also something that motivates us.
“And I wouldn’t say it tears us apart but it actually bonds us closer together and makes us try to score more points.”
Now though, the atmosphere is very different, and Haas chief Guenther Steiner does believe a noticeable change could be responsible.
“I don’t know if there was ever such a moment of breaking the knot,” he told F1-Insider. “Sometimes you just have to get used to the car and the pressure.
“But I already noticed in Canada that Mick seemed much more relaxed. Maybe he was trying to force it before and now the puzzle pieces are just falling into place. At any rate, Mick is on a roll at the moment.
“He learned a lot from his battle with Max Verstappen at Silverstone and has already put that into practice.
“Now again, he drove a great race in Austria – he defended strongly and attacked.”
Mick Schumacher, you superstar! ⭐️
Incredible overtakes across the field, a double-points finish and our Driver Of The Day in Austria ?
Take a bow, @SchumacherMick ?#AustrianGP #F1 @HaasF1Team pic.twitter.com/7SeXiWJHuy
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 11, 2022
Indeed, it was Schumacher’s racing skills that grabbed the attention at the Red Bull Ring, as he held off Lewis Hamilton for much of the Sprint before making good overtakes during the race.
For Haas, it also meant back-to-back double points finishes having previously not had one since Germany 2019.
“I’m very happy for the team,” added Steiner. “There were people who tried to drive a wedge between us, but we win and lose together.
“Mick is part of the team and has to perform as part of it. He is learning a lot right now and that will help him for the rest of his career and bring success.”
