Mick Schumacher, ever since his debut in F1, has been racing at the back of the grid, and the only driver he has managed to outperform is his rookie teammate, Nikita Mazepin. He is understandably eager to make progress and move up the ladder, and he knows his team can help him.
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Haas race engineer states the good qualities of Schumacher
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Haas race engineer Ayao Komatsu, as reported by Motorsport-total, explained that Mick Schumacher has had an open mind since day one as is always willing to try out the team’s suggestions.
“I think it was clear to all of us from the start that he is very open to all ideas. So if we can help him say, ‘Let’s try this out’, ‘Why don’t we go this way?’ then he’s happy to give it a try, even if he disagrees,” said Komatsu.
“Regardless of whether it’s a car set-up or management, the driving style for a lap, or the racing distance, he’ll always try it out. That gives us very good data on whether it works or not,” explains the race engineer.
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I always try things out on the track: Mick Schumacher
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And, as it turns out, it’s a two-way relationship, for the team pay attention to what the German has to say, too. They closely listen to his feedback and are willing to try out his suggestions as well.
“The trust is there – both from you to me and from me to you. We work very well as a team and the engineers are extremely open when it comes to what I have to say. Even if I don’t know all the backgrounds in every case, it doesn’t always fit 100 percent.
“The other way round, I always try things out on the track when the engineers make suggestions,” confirms the German. “I was told that other drivers never did that before. They preferred to get their own way.”
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With Haas F1 working like a well-oiled machine with great coordination, do you think Mick could move up the grid as the season progresses?