F1’s motorsport managing director Ross Brawn has known Mick Schumacher all his life and has even worked with his father Michael Schumacher.
Brawn was, therefore, delighted to see Mick starting to show his true potential, especially in a car that even the team expects to race at the back of the grid.
However, there were several instances during the race that were worth savouring such as when the F2 champion passed Nicholas Latifi’s Williams at Portimao and maintained at the position till the end.
Schumacher’s teammate Nikita Mazepin was unfortunately last on the grid.
Mick has had only a few opportunities to truly show what he can do and Brawn has been nothing but pleased with him.
“It’s clear the Haas is not one of the most competitive cars on the grid, so Mick Schumacher knew what he would be facing in his rookie season,” said Brawn in his regular post-race column for Formula 1.
“But you need to do what you can with what you have – and the little moments count, such as today, when he heaped the pressure on Nicholas Latifi and forced him into a mistake to take the position.
“This was certainly a good demonstration of his potential.”
Another driver who Brawn had kind words for was Fernando Alonso. Alonso managed to finish eighth after starting from 13th which was proof of his importance in the sport despite advancing years.
The two-time former world champion passed the chequered flag just behind his Alpine teammate Esteban Ocon after a show of strength towards the end of the race.
“It was exciting to watch Fernando Alonso surge through the field and get into the points,” said Brawn.
“When Alpine gave him a way back into the sport, they will have been banking on typically gritty performances like this where he gets everything out of the car.
“He was outshone by teammate Esteban Ocon, who finished a place ahead, but it was evidence that Fernando is starting get comfortable with the car.
“And this result certainly felt like the first step towards a really strong comeback having spent the last two years away from F1.”
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