The Chronicle Herald (Provincial)
Schumacher name ‘gives me motivation’ every day
LONDON — Taking the Schumacher surname back into Formula One this season will be more a source of pride than pressure, Michael's son Mick said on Thursday.
The 21-year-old German, whose Ferrari great father won seven world championships including five with the Italian team, makes his F1 race debut with Haas in Bahrain on March 28.
"I'm very happy to carry that surname, and I'm very happy to carry that name back into Formula One, and I'm very proud of it," he told reporters on a video call as Haas unveiled their new Ferraripowered car.
"It's like a boost for me and it gives me motivation every single day."
Haas scored only three points last year and finished ninth of 10 teams.
They are already more focused on 2022, when the rules change, and Schumacher — last year's Formula Two champion and a Ferrari Academy driver — could be facing a difficult year among the backmarkers.
Schumacher said he would be pushing to improve his performance in every race with the simple target of doing the best he possibly could.
One immediate hurdle he has had to overcome has been the factory seat fitting, with travel restrictions and quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic making that a timeconsuming undertaking.
"It hasn't been easy, travelling to England has been very restricted," he said.
"We've had a plan and then the rules changed and I had to self-quarantine, so I had to find a spot where I could give up 10 days basically to give myself the room to go to the team for one and a half days."
He said the seat fitting started at 0800 and finished at 2230 but it was worth it.
"It feels good ... a seat is always very special," he added. "I'm pretty sure I've got a good seat."
ASTON MARTIN BOSS HAS BIG PLANS FOR F1 TEAM
Lawrence Stroll is new to Formula One team ownership but when he says he is in it to win it with Aston Martin, and believes he can, he speaks as someone who has been around the sport for decades.
The Canadian billionaire from Montreal, who made his fortune in fashion, told Reuters the introduction of a budget cap this season and a fairer distribution of revenues could make the dream come true.
"If (F1 owners) Liberty had not brought in the rules of the new budget cap, and the new cash distribution, I would never have made the investment and acquired a Formula One team," he said.
"With this new budget cap, it makes these teams profitable. We're all playing on a level playing field, it's not that two or three teams are outspending and therefore more competitive."
Stroll, 61, bought the financially failing Force India team in 2018 and replaced it with Racing Point, who finished fourth last year but won a race and would have been third without a points deduction.
They are now competing as Aston Martin, the sportscar maker of which he is also executive chairman and significant shareholder.
He is not expecting overnight success but nor does he contemplate failure.
"Like every other business I've owned, I'm here to win," he declared.
Stroll's son Lance, 22, races for Aston Martin and it would be easy to see the team as simply a vehicle acquired to further his career. That, however, ignores the older Stroll's track record.
Thrilled by Canadian hero and Ferrari favourite Gilles Villenueve, Stroll arrived in Paris in the 1980s as owner of Ralph Lauren Europe. A friend was a shareholder in a team and one thing led to another.