Haas Trackside Engineering Director Ayao Komatsu has spoken on Mick Schumacher’s progress in 2022 as well as the impact of having someone of Kevin Magnussen’s experience alongside him.
The partnership between Schumacher and Magnussen along with the new regulations has led Haas back into the top ten after a painful 2021 campaign which saw them score no points.
With the Danish driver being Schumacher’s first non-rookie team-mate, Haas believes the wealth of six years’ experience under Magnussen’s belt has benefited the young German as he takes on his second season.
When questioned about the scope of Magnussen’s positive influence on Schumacher, Komatsu answered: “Quite a lot.
“You know, when Kevin came back in Bahrain for testing, he was a different person to two years ago. He is so open, so cherishing the challenge, and he’s very, you know, open to sharing information as well, so Mick benefited quite a lot from having a reference.
“And then he was always close to scoring points, but he couldn’t get there. But once he got them in Silverstone, that was a huge step. So yeah, he improved a lot this year.”
Schumacher’s progress this season is proved by his eighth place at Silverstone followed by a sixth in Austria which marked his first points in Formula 1.
Komatsu spoke of these races as being key in the German gaining more confidence after seeing his hard work pay off.
“Also, the mental side, as I said, at Silverstone he scored his first points in F1,” Komatsu continued. “That was huge pressure off him and he followed up with that performance in Spielberg, so the confidence is there.
“Then the understanding of the car; he’s a very hard worker, he always sits with his engineers trying to understand what he’s done wrong, where he can improve on Friday night, in between FP1 and FP2.
“So, he’s always working hard. So finally in a season-and-a-half, you know, since his debut, it has started paying off. And then that gives him confidence and that’s the positive cycle.”
Discussion about this post