Mick Schumacher says he still has a long way to go to fulfill his potential in Formula 1, as his Haas career looks set to come to an end.
The 23-year-old is in his second season in F1 with the American team and scored his first points with eighth place at Silverstone before following that with an impressive sixth in Austria at the next round.
However, those have been his only scores of the season and with a number of costly errors – the most recent being a crash at the end of practice in Japan – Schumacher is expected to be replaced by Nico Hulkenberg for 2023.
Speaking to ESPN during a visit to the Schumacher family ranch in Texas around the time of the United States Grand Prix, the 2020 Formula 2 champion says he has been improving but still has plenty of developing to do.
“I feel like I’ve had the chance to grow, I’m obviously still far away from where I want to be and what I’m capable of being,” Schumacher told the U.S. broadcaster.
“In Formula 1 you do need three years to become a full complete racing driver. So I’m taking my time, but I’m also conscious about the fact I want to prove myself and show everybody what I’m able to do, as I did in Formula 3 and Formula 2. I don’t see a reason why I can’t do it in Formula 1.”
However, even though at the time his future appeared to be more in the balance, Schumacher acknowledges he hasn’t helped his own chances by some of the expensive crashes he had earlier this season.
“I think performance does overrule that,” he said. “But it’s never great to have an accident. Formula 1 is a very costly sport. We’re trying to get the maximum out of it and sometimes you do have to go to that limit.
“This year’s cars are very different compared to last year so some of the approaches I had didn’t work. When we changed it going into Canada, things very much changed for the better.”
RACER understands Schumacher could be a candidate for a Mercedes reserve role next season if his departure from Haas is confirmed, with Guenther Steiner targeting an announcement about his driver line-up this week.
