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Haas F1 Team have an eye for 2022 as they line up with an all-new driver lineup as both Mick Schumacher, son of Michael Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin join the American outfit from the F2 series.
Haas F1 Team
The American team owner Gene Haas joined Formula 1 in 2016 after successful reigns in NASCAR, the team has benefitted from a technical partnership with Ferrari which has been key to their approach in the category. In the team’s debut season in the sport, both Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez joined the American’s long-term project.
The team’s reign got off to a perfect start at Australia where they finished sixth before then claiming fifth at Bahrain a few weeks later. The team went on to finish eighth place in the Constructors’ Championship that season. In 2017 Kevin Magnussun joined Grosjean but the result was the same as the team retained their status as the eighth-best Constructor.
Haas enjoyed their most successful season in Formula 1 in 2018 as they claimed their best qualifying and race results throughout the year before claiming a fifth-place finish in the Constructors’ Championship. It was a downward spiral that followed as they dropped back down the pecking order in 2019 before 2020 proved to be even worse as they only accumulated three points the entire season, 90 points less than two years prior.
Mick Schumacher
Mick Schumacher, son of seven-time World Champion Michael Schuamcher, will make his debut in Formula 1 this year as Haas opted to secure the German in their completely new driver lineup for 2021. Carrying the Schumacher name comes with added pressure and expectations given his father Michael’s extraordinary achievements in the sport.
The German started his karting career using his mums maiden name as the family tried to cover up added stature that came with the notorious surname.
After impressing in karting, the 21-year-old made his first real step towards a life long dream when he joined FIA Formula 3 European Championship with Prema Powerteam. After battling eventual champion Lando Norris as well as Callum Ilott and Nikita Mazepin throughout the year, Schumacher decided to return to the Championship in 2018.
A year later, he dominated the category winning the title courtesy of eight wins and 14 podiums as he finished nearly 60 points ahead of Red Bull Junior driver Dan Ticktum.
Graduation to FIA Formula 2 followed as the German was then announced as a Ferrari Driver Academy member. He finished 12th overall in his rookie year having picked up his first sprint race victory and twice testing Formula 1 machinery for Alfa Romeo and Ferrari.
Just twelve months later, Schumacher was crowned as the Formula 2 Champion beating former teammate Ilott to the title by 14 points. Despite not always being the quickest driver, he made up for it with the consistency that others lacked. Feature race victories at Monza and Sochi as well as 10 podiums, earned Schumacher a full-time seat as a Haas F1 driver in December for the 2021 season.
Nikita Mazepin
Wealthy Russian Nikita Mazepin will also make his debut this season as he joins Haas F1 Team on a multi-year deal. The 22-year-old has followed a similar path into Formula 1 as his teammate Schumacher as the two progressed through FIA Formula 3 European Championship and FIA Formula 2 before making the transition to F1.
Mazepin claimed his first full-time seat in the F3 European Championship, where he was also named a development driver for Force India. The Russian failed to impress in his debut year before collecting three podiums a year later as he finished 10th in the Championship.
He joined GP3 in 2018 where he endured a much more successful season with his new team ART Grand Prix. The Russian driver won four races, as well as eight podiums which saw him finish runner-up and led to his graduation to F2 with ART in 2019.
It was a year of adjusting for the rookie, where he also tested for Mercedes topping the timing sheets in May 2019. In his second season in the category, Mazepin began to flourish as he won Feature Races at Silverstone and Mugello alongside stepping on the podium six times. He finished fifth in the hotly contested Formula 1 feeder series and was promoted to the pinnacle of motorsport with Haas F1 Team in November 2020.
Prediction for the season
Haas have been lingering towards the rear of the grid for the previous two years and it may be a similar story this year for the American outfit. The team have their eyes set on the 2022 regulation changes as they have recruited a deputising driver lineup giving the duo time to adjust to the challenging nature of Formula One.
As well as this, with the recent Haas 2021 challenger being revealed a matter of weeks ago, to the naked eye it looks very much similar to their 2020 car. When asked about this Guenther Steiner did state that the team had chosen to keep their two development tokens for the following year with the regulation changes in mind. Due to this, Haas may struggle an finish near the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship once more.
Schumacher will need time to adjust to Formula 1 after progressing through junior categories. While he is carrying a very prestigious surname, it will be key for the German to keep his feet on the floor with the added expectations to his name.
A key area for the German to develop in 2021 is his qualifying pace, he was often beaten in qualifying throughout his time in F2 but came into his own when the race got underway with extreme levels of consistency. Anything more than 18th would be regarded as a very successful season for the 21-year-old who will be looking to score his first-ever points finish in the category.
Mazepin had his critics when he was announced as a Formula 1 driver this year with his incredible financial backing becoming an integral reason as to why the Russian is on the grid in 2021. Although he did flourish in the second half of the F2 season where he made a late charge up to fifth in the Championship.
Despite never winning a title, the 22-tear-old has proved on multiple occasions that he does have the raw pace to compete at the highest level, it is his consistency and racecraft which is often questioned when it comes to Mazepin being a complete driver. He will ultimately fall short of his teammate and will finish 20th in the Drivers’ Championship as he races for the first time in F1.
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