Nico Rosberg mounts pressure on Mick Schumacher over his…
Mick Schumacher faces the prospect of being kicked out of Formula 1 forever if he cannot manage a strong end to the season, according to fellow German Nico Rosberg.
The son of seven-time world champion Michael has had a largely underwhelming second season in F1, albeit with a few high points. One of those was in qualifying for this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix, where he put his Haas eighth on the grid, although he finished down in 13th in the race.
It is clear Schumacher is battling for his F1 future with team boss Guenther Steiner continually non-committal over the former Formula 2 champion’s future. Daniel Ricciardo, recently ditched by McLaren, and former Alfa Romeo driver Antonio Giovinazzi have been linked with his seat at Haas.
Schumacher’s hand has potentially been weakened after it was confirmed he was no longer part of the Ferrari driver academy. Ferrari did have final say over one of the seats at Haas.
“The pressure is on him massively at the moment. He needs to deliver to have a chance to secure a drive for next year,” Rosberg told Sky Sports F1 ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix.
Nico Rosberg mounts pressure on Mick Schumacher over his…
“He did a great job yesterday, he absolutely nailed it. He beat [teammate Kevin] Magnussen fair and square and ended up in Q3. Fantastic job. If he manages to deliver today and bring it home in the points, it could be a big step for him staying on the grid next year, ideally with Haas or with Williams for example.”
When Paul di Resta claimed the pressure is actually off Schumacher, who may already know where his future lies, Rosberg shot back: “You say the pressure is off, I see it completely differently. Come on, he’s about to get kicked out of Formula 1. If he gets kicked out, it’s the end of his F1 career forever.
READ ALSO: Lewis Hamilton has turned his fire on Max Verstappen’s insisting it is….
“So the pressure cannot be higher on Mick Schumacher at the moment. It’s really massive and that’s why the way he drove yesterday was so great.”