10 May 2023 , 09:22
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Johnny Herbert has a lot of sympathy for Mick Schumacher regarding his issues both on and off the track.
The young German made his Formula 1 debut with Haas in 2021, driving an entirely uncompetitive car incapable of scoring points. The team's fortunes improved last year, but Schumacher was unable to capitalise upon the strides made and could only score points on two occasions across the season.
That, combined with a series of expensive crashes, gave Gene Haas and team principal Guenther Steiner a decision to make. After months of deliberation, they decided to replace him with the more experienced Nico Hulkenberg for this campaign.
Without a race seat after just two years in F1, Schumacher is now reserve for Mercedes – the team which his father Michael helped to establish on the grid. He will hope for an opportunity to present itself to return to race in 2024, but will know that nothing is guaranteed – even for the son of arguably the sport's greatest ever driver.
Of course, on top of his own struggles on the track, young Mick has also had to come to terms with his father's accident. Schumacher has been cared for by his family and a team of medical staff since he was discharged from hospital after a horror skiing accident in December 2013.
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Details of his condition are shrouded in secrecy with the family determined to protect his privacy. Herbert, whose own F1 career overlapped that of Schumacher Sr, has been impressed by the way Mick has carried himself through that personal tragedy while still vigorously pursuing his own racing dreams.
Michael's son Mick Schumacher is trying to establish himself within F1 (HOCH ZWEI/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)"Michael Schumacher's health is also very sad for Mick," he told Ice36. "It can’t be easy for Mick, because of what his dad achieved. Being around your dad when you're younger. Then of course his dad is not there to enjoy it and guide him. There have been a lot of people who have helped Mick over the years, but I think it is a situation that he would have loved his dad to be there for him.
"But he has dealt with the situation brilliantly. There was so much media attention just because of who he was and is. Then the expectations of what his dad did and trying to live up to them. He was under a hell of a lot of pressure and did it get the better of him? Maybe. Did he do enough when he was up against Kevin Magnussen? Probably not. That’s why it didn’t work out.
"He never created that opportunity for himself to continue as a racer. But there is still a chance an opportunity will open up and he will get that one-off race, like it did for Nyck de Vries, that might lead people to think, 'Wow'."