Ex-Team Principal Insists Mick Schumacher’s Championship-Winning F3 Car Wasn’t ‘Illegal’

The manner in which Mick Schumacher won the 2018 FIA Formula Three European Championship raised some eyebrows in the paddock.

Mick Schumacher driving for Prema Powerteam in Formula 3 in 2016 - Formula1news.co.uk

The car which Mick Schumacher drove during his 2018 FIA Formula Three European Championship-winning campaign was entirely legal, according to Rene Rosin, team principal of the Italy-based Prema Powerteam.

Follow us on Google News to never miss an F1 story!

In 2017, Schumacher finished his maiden season in F3 12th in the standings, making him the lowest finisher of all four Prema drivers.

He stayed with the team for the following year, and after a slow start to the season which saw him not record his first win until around the mid-way point, he dominated the second half of the 2018 campaign.

His exceptionally strong second half to the season meant he was crowned champion by a margin of 57 points over second-placed driver Dan Ticktum.

However, the manner in which Schumacher won that year’s title raised some eyebrows in the paddock, including from Ticktum, who took to social media to question how the German had managed to drastically improve his form.

The social media post was later deleted, but even until today, some people have their doubts about how Schumacher won the Championship.

READ: Red Bull Not Ruling Out Replacing Perez With Tsunoda In 2022

Rosin has insisted that Schumacher’s car was entirely legal and described Ticktum’s remarks as “not appropriate.”

Article continues below

“Those comments were not appropriate,” Rosin said.

“If someone questioned the legality of the car or the engine, they could have protested about anything. But nobody did.”

Continuing, he said that they won the 2018 Championship simply because Schumacher was able to be more consistent and pull off strong results in the second half of the season.

“He was always fighting for the top positions, but then never brought the result he needed.

“We said to him: ‘Mick, just do it race after race, don’t think about the championship – if you think about the championship, it gets harder’.

“We won the title because Mick and the team did a great job.”

Schumacher made his F1 debut last month in Bahrain, but with Haas seemingly having the slowest car on the grid and clearly stating they won’t actively be trying to develop their package, 2021 looks set to be a challenging season for the young German.

READ: Lewis Hamilton Is A ‘Great Spy’ For Mercedes – Ex-Engineer