Sebastian Vettel Says Haas F1 Officials Need to Lighten Up on Mick Schumacher

Haas F1 Team principal Guenther Steiner should back off public criticisms of struggling team driver Mick Schumacher.

That comes from Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel, a close friend of his former mentor Michael Schumacher, whose 23-year-old son Mick now drives in Formula 1. Mick, however, is not proving to be an instant sensation in the sport. Mick is scoreless in his first 29 F1 starts and has finished on the lead lap just two times in seven starts this season.

Pressure is now building on young Schumacher's shoulders following a spate of public criticisms by his Steiner.

"Criticism is justified in this regard," four-time F1world champion Vettel told European media outlet Bild newspaper. "But they can't keep on at him. They also need to say something when things go well."

After Monaco, where Schumacher's latest high speed crash split his car in two, Steiner publicly warned the German about a repeat in Baku. Mick then qualified dead last in Azerbaijan and called the situation "stupid."

"We all drive at the limit," Vettel said. "That something can go wrong is part of it. I think in that situation, you should do everything you can to have your driver's back. From my own experience, it's not easy when the team keeps at you."

Mick's uncle, Ralf Schumacher, is also putting the onus on Haas to improve its 2022 car.

"Haas' goal must be to bring an update to the car as early as possible," he told Sky Deutschland. "I heard that unfortunately it won't come before the French GP, which is a delay that makes life harder for everyone.

"Still, Mick has to be as fast as or faster than his teammate," Ralf Schumacher said. "If he is faster than (Kevin) Magnussen, things will look better for him again."