Reuters
Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto expects Mick Schumacher to have a tough Formula One debut with Haas next year before getting more up to speed in 2022.
Schumacher, the son of Ferrari great and seven times F1 world champion Michael, won the Formula Two title this year and has graduated to the US-owned team with close ties to Maranello.
Haas scored only three points this season and ended up ninth of the 10 teams.
“I think it will be very difficult for him at the start,” Binotto told reporters in a video conference when asked what he expected from the 21-year-old Ferrari Academy driver.
“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 on 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 on the second I’m expecting to see progress compared to the first one.”
Ferrari have held open the possibility of Schumacher one day racing for them but they have Charles Leclerc on a long-term contract while Spaniard Carlos Sainz has signed an initial two-year deal that could be extended.
They also have close ties with Swiss-based Alfa Romeo, who could also be a future destination for Schumacher after Haas, depending on progress.
Binotto said he wanted to see Schumacher getting progressively faster. “I’m really expecting him to prove how fast he is in an F1 context, both qualifying and the race...to prove that he is very strong in race pace and consistent in terms of bringing the car home in a good position,” he said. Ferrari have strengthened their ties with Haas ahead of next season, with their chassis engineering head Simone Resta transferring across.
Binotto said more Ferrari personnel would follow Resta out as the team is forced to shed staff to meet the terms of a budget cap being introduced next year.
“A few other technicians will move, reducing our organisation which is required for the budget cap but strengthening the organisation of our customers and partner teams,” he said.
Those transferred to Haas would remain at Maranello but working out of a completely separate facility with no access to the main Ferrari building, Binotto added.
Meanwhile, Alexander Albon said he was dejected after being replaced by Mexican Sergio Perez at the Red Bull Formula One team for next season but is determined to get a race seat in 2022. Perez, a winner for Racing Point in Bahrain this season, will slot in alongside Max Verstappen next season after Albon was demoted to the role of test and reserve driver.
Albon, who started out at Red Bull’s sister team AlphaTauri (Toro Rosso) before being promoted in 2019, finished seventh in the standings, level with McLaren’s Carlos Sainz who will race for Ferrari next year.
The 24-year-old Thai failed to match Verstappen’s performances this season, with the Dutchman winning two races and finishing third overall.
“I can’t lie guys, it hurts,” Albon said in a statement on Sunday. “I gave it everything out there, but it wasn’t quite enough. I want to say a huge thank you to all of you that supported me throughout this year, especially my Thai fans.
“With all the different opinions out there, I always had you guys to push me through it. I’m not giving up, I’ve poured my life into this and I won’t let it stop here.
“I have more to give and my focus is getting back for 2022 and to wave the Thai flag again.”
Red Bull, who finished second in the constructors’ championship, are aiming to give champions Mercedes a run for their money next season which is due to start in Australia on March 21.