Timo Glock is convinced that Mick Schumacher is not yet finished in Formula 1 because he is constantly developing and still learning
If Timo Glock has his way, Mick Schumacher definitely deserves to continue his Formula 1 career in 2023. “I thought the qualifying result at Zandvoort was pretty impressive,” said the current ‘Sky’ pundit in the Formula 1 podcast ‘Beyond the Grid’. “Despite the pressure he’s under at the moment, he delivered that weekend. “
“Since he scored his first points, he’s been delivering, scoring points and having the pace. And he’s showing progress. That’s the important thing. It seems like he never stands still. There is no standstill with him. He’s getting better and better. It’s his second year in Formula 1. How he’s handling the pressure now and how he’s getting better, that’s impressive to see.”
That Schumacher is not a high-flyer is known from the junior series. In Formula 3 and Formula 2, too, it took him more than a year before he started winning. But once he had found his feet, there was no stopping him.
2021 Schumacher drove for Haas, the worst team in Formula 1 at the time, alongside another rookie, Nikita Masepin. Now he has a much more experienced teammate in Kevin Magnussen. And a more competitive car.
Glock believes that this is why the 23-year-old only really started learning about Formula 1 in 2022: “You learn a lot more when you have a competitive car and can race with the others. If your highlight is when you can drive in Q2 once, you don’t learn what real racing in Formula 1 means. “
Duelling against Verstappen worth its weight in gold for Schumacher
“You learn that when you have a competitive car, like he has now, and you can fight for points. When you fight against Max Verstappen, like in Silverstone. In such duels you learn how to improve. If you just drive around the back, you don’t learn anything,” explains the former Formula 1 driver.
Glock has known the family for many years and also had a good relationship with Mick’s father Michael. He says: “I still remember a kart race when Mick asked me to come with him to the European Championship in Kristianstad.” Schumacher was racing under his mother’s maiden name at the time, as Mick Betsch, virtually “undercover”.
“I had never seen him drive a kart before,” Glock describes. “He drove out of the pits, I went into the stands. There were 30 go-karts coming towards me. And I knew immediately where Mick was! I knew his helmet, of course. But the way he was sitting in that go-kart …”
“If he had had a red helmet, I would have thought he was Michael! His sitting position, his movements, the way he handled the go-kart and watched the other drivers as he drove through the field – it was 1:1 like Michael. Just with a yellow helmet,” says Glock.