It’s been reported by Bild that Mick Schumacher has four races to score his first point in Formula 1, as the pressure on the young German to perform continues to increase.
After an impressive debut season where he over-achieved in the worst car on the grid, Schumacher has failed to take the next step in his second season, despite having a car capable of a points finish.
The pressure on the Haas F1 Team driver’s shoulders only increased following his massively expensive crashes at both Saudi Arabia and Monaco.
It’s believed that the repair bill for the two crashes was a staggering $2 million.
The German twice crashed so hard that his car split in two, resulting in his relationship with team principal Guenther Steiner becoming increasingly frosty.
The mounting pressure is due to the 24-year-old not having a contract for next season, with the next four races being crucial to his fight to remain at Haas.
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Schumacher was looking strong for a points finish at the recent race in Canada, before a reliability problem saw him retire from 7th place.
Former F1 driver Christian Danner, believes this weekend’s British Grand Prix will be a “big challenge” for the young driver but that a points finish at Silverstone would elevate his confidence.
“Silverstone is an incredibly fast and difficult track, a really big challenge,” said the 64-year-old.
“If Mick can do that, it’s another piece of the puzzle for, ‘I can do it.’
“It’s a bigger challenge than Canada,” Danner insisted.
The importance of the next four races before the summer break, comes following a report by Bild that he will be in a better position to remain with the team if he scores points before the break.
“Points are finally needed before the summer break. Mick has four races left,” reports Bild.
“With points on his account, Mick will be in a much better position in the summer when the negotiations start.”
Guenther Steiner has informed the media that no decision on Schumacher’s career will be made before the summer break.
“We will not have the talks before,” Steiner said.
Incredibly, Schumacher is already sixth on the list of most races without a point, something which the son of Michael Schumacher will be desperate to put an end to.
Danner, however, thinks that the following Austrian Grand Prix may suit Schumacher and the VF22 better.
The Red Bull Ring has many similar characteristics to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, meaning that not all is lost should the German fail yet again this weekend to score points.
“Austria is a stop-and-go track where you have to go straight ahead and then suddenly brake,” Danner explained.
“It has a bit of a Canadian character.”
But with its high-speeds, he reckons: “Haas as having a bit of an advantage over the competition.”