Mick Schumacher, Haas, Jeddah Corniche Circuit, 2022

Schumacher “a lot more comfortable” with experienced Magnussen as team mate

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In the round-up: Mick Schumacher says he is “a lot more comfortable” having an experienced team mate in Kevin Magnussen

In brief

Schumacher “a lot more comfortable” with Magnussen as team mate

Schumacher raced alongside fellow rookie Nikita Mazepin last year. Mazepin was replaced by Magnussen before the second pre-season test.

Asked by RaceFans if he felt a different dynamic with an experienced team mate compared to a fellow rookie, Schumacher replied: “Yeah, definitely.”

“I do have to say I feel a lot more comfortable in this year’s construction of how it is, in terms of how we have the working relationship, I think is pretty great,” he added.

Quotes: Claire Cottingham

Room for Mercedes customers to improve – Krack

Despite Mercedes engine customers filling the back two rows of the grid in Bahrain, Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack does not believe their shortcomings are entirely engine related.

“This is an observation that we had already quite early,” said Krack “On the other hand, we see the Mercedes factory team finish third and fourth. So still, with the powertrain, you can do a good job and I think it’s for us first to do a proper car or a quicker car before we go too much into what you are observing.

“I think the competition has made maybe a bigger step forward and that’s something we need to catch up on.”

Meeting Susie Wolff inspired my racing career – Saudi racer Juffali

Saudi Arabian racing driver Reema Juffali said she was inspired to seek her racing license after meeting Susie Wolff.

Juffali, who has raced in British F4 and last season’s GB3 championship as well as the Dubai 24 Hours, said Wolff, CEO of the Venturi Formula E team and the last woman to participate in a Formula 1 race weekend, inspired her to pursue her dreams of racing.

“I was introduced to Susie Wolff, and at that point I had done my research and knew what it would take to go racing,” said Juffali. “I’m like, ‘you know what, actually, I want to get my racing license, I want to go racing’. And that was it.

“Obviously, 2018 was the year women were allowed to drive [in Saudi Arabia], so it was a big story of women in cars let alone racing. I got my racing license, signed up to race in Abu Dhabi and got in a car with a pure goal of getting behind the wheel, finishing the race, fulfilling this dream of being a racing driver.”

Quotes: Hazel Southwell

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Comment of the day

With drivers of the view that the changes made to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit have not addressed their main safety concerns about the high speed track, @bernasaurus can’t help but feel that the sport is pushing the limits of the sport’s safety standards a little too far.

I think the fact everyone seems to be having the same conversation means there is an issue. After Hubert’s death, Raidillon was changed, but largely not discussed prior to 2016 and Magnussen and then Aitken. COTA’s bumps are something I think we’re casual about because it’s seen as a challenge and the track is about as safe as you can get (Abbie Eaton and sausage kerbs aside, but those things are nearly everywhere and probably a separate issue).

If someone got hurt at Jeddah, I think it’d put the FIA, Liberty and the promoters in a tough spot. Many people have expressed concerns about the sheer blindness of it. It’s perhaps true that Monaco will be just as blind, but the speeds are nowhere the same.

I do like the track, and it’s probably it’s last year. But for so many to say it’s a bit silly, then it probably is a bit silly. I don’t think I’m pushing it too far to say the Nordschleife would be safer, at least you can see what you’re approaching more than half a second before you arrive.

We love to see drivers pushed to the limit. But to do so when it seems most are saying this is dangerous, comes across as reckless.
@bernasaurus

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Guilherme Teixeira, Marc, Thomas Lindgren and Thomas Lindgren!

On this day in motorsport

Alonso triumphed over Perez at a damp Sepang today in 2012

Author information

Will Wood
Will has been a RaceFans contributor since 2012 during which time he has covered F1 test sessions, launch events and interviewed drivers. He mainly...

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10 comments on “Schumacher “a lot more comfortable” with experienced Magnussen as team mate”

  1. 2012 Sepang, great race. Perez on the Sauber Ferrari was clearly faster than Nando. Can’t see merc allowing any of their customers close.

    1. I loved that race. So gutted for Perez and Sauber at the time, but at least he’s won a couple races now. If I remember right, it looked like Perez would catch and pass Alonso, but he went too deep into a corner and that just about saved Fernando’s bacon. Would have been a legendary win if he’d done it.

  2. @bernasaurus can’t help but feel that the sport is pushing safety a little too far.

    I am not sure this fit with what he is saying.

    1. Maybe @willwood meant “pushing the limits of safety too far”, i.e. sacrificing safety. That would fit with the COTD.

      1. @drmouse @apophisjj drmouse is entirely correct. I have edited the text to make that clearer!

  3. Understandably more comfortable & definitely improvement room for Merc PU customers.

    Thanksgiving? What about the initial indication of getting paired with Miami?
    The late-season phase is quite unspacious for any more events, also considering Qatar that’ll presumably get paired with Abu Dhabi since two Arab events are already in early-season unless the opposite happens, after all.
    If not, placing LV on 26.11 would cause a triple-header as a season effectively has to finish about two weeks before Christmas, so 10.12 for Abu Dhabi GP at the latest next year.
    Additionally, holding separate from any other NA event bar Canadian GP would be silly unless COTA & Mexico get reshuffled a bit. Weird since the early-season phase is more spacious for extra events.

    I’ve already replied to COTD, but while I see the sentiment, I’m not overly pessimistic.

  4. How I read the title:

    “Michael Schumacher “a lot more comfortable” with experienced Jan Magnussen as team mate”

  5. I have an opinion
    25th March 2022, 9:26

    “Mercedes engine is not bad” — Mike Krack.

  6. After a race Mick’s season is starting to look like somehow similar to his junior categories. He is nowhere in his first season (beating Nikita isn’t much of an achievement) and now he has been beaten by a driver who was out of a seat for a season, didn’t have as much time to prepare as Mick and has already been the “headline driver” of the season.
    If Mick wants to follow his fathers footsteps he needs to beat Kevin and I can’t help thinking if somehow after the middle of the season (if it hasn’t happen earlier) Mick is starting to be faster than his teammate.

    Cause does Ferrari really want a driver to their team who has been beaten by a driver who has been “a fast but the one who was meant to bring F1 to Denmark by his results?”

  7. @bernasaurus can’t help but feel that the sport is pushing safety a little too far.

    This isn’t what he said but the statement is entirely true.

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