"He's hit the bottom and bounced like a person on a space hopper"- Mick Schumacher made a 'leap forward' under pressure after 2022 British GP, feels former F1 champion

Former F1 world champion Damon Hill believes Haas F1 driver Mick Schumacher has made a “leap forward” to secure consecutive points finishes. Starting with the 2022 F1 British GP a few weeks ago, the German has been making strides in his performance after being under immense pressure to perform all season.

Hill claimed that Schumacher “hit the bottom” before bouncing back hard to become a different, yet better driver. Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast ahead of the 2022 F1 French GP, the Briton said:

“Mick Schumacher I think has had a little bit of a spurt or a leap forward. It looked like it was all going south, and then suddenly he’s rebounded, he’s hit the bottom and bounced like a person on a space hopper.”

He added, saying:

“Something’s new, something’s different, something’s better, and sometimes it can be caused by staring into the abyss of the reality of our sport; you could find yourself not in Formula 1. That can spur you on.”

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A strong teammate at Haas helped Mick Schumacher perform at his “true capacity”

Damon Hill believes that a strong teammate in Kevin Magnussen at Haas provided Mick Schumacher with a much-needed “shock to the system”, thereby helping the German realize his “true capacity”.

Hill claimed that Schumacher had to “reset his targets and dig deeper” to perform at the same level as Magnussen following the Dane’s arrival at the team earlier this year. Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, the 1996 F1 world champion said:

“I think having a teammate like Kevin was suddenly a bit of a shock to the system as well, and sometimes it can set you back, and then you have to regroup, and suddenly you realise, ‘Wow, Formula 1 really is the most challenging category of racing’. The competition is so fierce, it’s so intense, but you do have to reset your targets.”

He added, saying:

“You think you’re trying your best and you think that you’re giving it everything, but then you realise you’re actually underperforming to what your true capacity is, and you have to really dig deep in Formula 1, because you will get found out.”

Mick Schumacher made his F1 debut with Haas last season, alongside fellow F2 graduate Nikita Mazepin. While a lack of an experienced teammate meant that the German had no set benchmark to meet within the team, he generally beat Mazepin in almost every outing last season.

With Magnussen’s arrival this season, Schumacher suddenly found himself on the back foot and struggled to meet expectations. In the last few races, however, he seems to have found his confidence within the cockpit, leading to some brilliant on-track performances.