Schumacher was criticized after a messy opening phase of the season, which included a high-speed qualifying shunt in Saudi Arabia that caused him to miss the race, an awkward collision with Sebastian Vettel in Miami and then a big crash at the pool during the Monaco Grand Prix.
Schumacher’s form has since improved. He qualified sixth in Canada, his best career record, and although his car failed in that race, he subsequently took points in Great Britain and Austria. But he has not forgotten the judgment at the beginning of the year.
“People are kind of focused on making headlines,” Schumacher told Autosport in an interview before the summer break.
“Yes, I understand that people need to make money and they need to do things. But on the other hand, I would also appreciate if people take, you know, maybe more time , to accumulate facts.
While some of these crashes were cases of driver error, there were also times when outsiders didn’t know all the details but still gave their opinion – like when Schumacher was crippled by suspension issues. in Spain. He says he now knows how to move on.
“I don’t really think about those anymore, or go back to them,” Schumacher said. “I know what I can do. I know what I’m worth. So I really focus on that. I just try to do my best and normally the best I can do should be enough to perform well, because it’s been like that in Formula 2 and Formula 3. And also in Formula 4.
“In each championship in which I participated in the junior categories, I could be second or first. So I don’t see any reason why I couldn’t do that in Formula 1.”
Mick Schumacher, Haas VF-22 crash
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
Developing this type of thinking was part of the mental reset Schumacher underwent after the Monaco crash. The change began to change the narrative of his season.
“I knew I had to do something to improve my performance,” Schumacher said. “I think I had to think about everything that happened, but also why I’m here in Formula 1.
“A lot of it is because I love the sport. And so I focused on that and said OK, look, I’m doing this because I love it and if I don’t want to do it, I don’t have to.
“It really helped me get back to a positive place. Basically, I managed to do a good job as well.
Although the last two races before the summer break have yielded nothing in terms of points after the Silverstone-Spielberg double, Schumacher is optimistic for the rest of the season.
“I feel like maybe we got a bit lost in the setup at the start of the year,” Schumacher explained. “We had to kind of do a reset and then rebuild it from scratch. Looking back at what we had in those races, compared to what we achieved today in terms of set-up, I think we’re really, really happy.
Schumacher was criticized after a messy opening phase of the season, which included a high-speed qualifying shunt in Saudi Arabia that caused him to miss the race, an awkward collision with Sebastian Vettel in Miami and then a big crash at the pool during the Monaco Grand Prix.
Schumacher’s form has since improved. He qualified sixth in Canada, his best career record, and although his car failed in that race, he subsequently took points in Great Britain and Austria. But he has not forgotten the judgment at the beginning of the year.
“People are kind of focused on making headlines,” Schumacher told Autosport in an interview before the summer break.
“Yes, I understand that people need to make money and they need to do things. But on the other hand, I would also appreciate if people take, you know, maybe more time , to accumulate facts.
While some of these crashes were cases of driver error, there were also times when outsiders didn’t know all the details but still gave their opinion – like when Schumacher was crippled by suspension issues. in Spain. He says he now knows how to move on.
“I don’t really think about those anymore, or go back to them,” Schumacher said. “I know what I can do. I know what I’m worth. So I really focus on that. I just try to do my best and normally the best I can do should be enough to perform well, because it’s been like that in Formula 2 and Formula 3. And also in Formula 4.
“In each championship in which I participated in the junior categories, I could be second or first. So I don’t see any reason why I couldn’t do that in Formula 1.”
Mick Schumacher, Haas VF-22 crash
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
Developing this type of thinking was part of the mental reset Schumacher underwent after the Monaco crash. The change began to change the narrative of his season.
“I knew I had to do something to improve my performance,” Schumacher said. “I think I had to think about everything that happened, but also why I’m here in Formula 1.
“A lot of it is because I love the sport. And so I focused on that and said OK, look, I’m doing this because I love it and if I don’t want to do it, I don’t have to.
“It really helped me get back to a positive place. Basically, I managed to do a good job as well.
Although the last two races before the summer break have yielded nothing in terms of points after the Silverstone-Spielberg double, Schumacher is optimistic for the rest of the season.
“I feel like maybe we got a bit lost in the setup at the start of the year,” Schumacher explained. “We had to kind of do a reset and then rebuild it from scratch. Looking back at what we had in those races, compared to what we achieved today in terms of set-up, I think we’re really, really happy.