Mika Hakkinen Sees F1 Door Ajar For Mick Schumacher

Mick Schumacher’s Formula 1 journey might not be finished, says two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen.

The Finn, who battled Mick’s father Michael for titles over 20 years ago, spoke at Monday’s Laureus award nominee announcement. “He has experience in Formula 1. He has experience in various categories. He is young. These are all good things,” Hakkinen told Sport1 about the 25-year-old now racing in WEC after losing his Haas seat in 2022.

Mistakes cost Mick early, though. “Formula 1 is a very challenging place. You make three or four mistakes and break the car and that is not a stroke of luck for the team,” Hakkinen said. “Teams don’t like that. They don’t like spending so much money on repairs to your car. Mick has had a few problems that have been very damaging to his career. But he still has a chance to come back. The door is open. He just needs to find the right people to talk to.”

Hakkinen reckons times have changed since his era. “When I was driving, I took more and more risks in Formula 1 and also crashed,” he said. “But back then I had team managers who supported me. When you’re a driver, you try to get everything out of it and take risks. The team managers didn’t ask me to drive slowly and bring the car safely to the finish. They told me to step on the gas! But now you have different structures, a different budget and not as much money available. The money you spend on repairs you can’t spend on further car development.”