How Schumacher finally ended his wait for first F1 points

The son of legendary seven-time world champion Michael finally ended his long wait for his first F1 world championship points by finishing eighth in Sunday’s extraordinary British Grand Prix at Silverstone. 

Schumacher demonstrated flashes of promise in his rookie F1 season in 2021 as he comprehensively outperformed Nikita Mazepin, but alongside new teammate Kevin Magnussen, and in a car that is now fast enough to score points, the 23-year-old has struggled. 

Prior to Silverstone, Schumacher had failed to register a top-10 finish in nine attempts, while Magnussen picked up 15 points during the same period. 

Two big shunts in Saudi Arabia and Monaco cost the team $1 million each, leading Haas team principal Guenther Steiner to warn the German that the American outfit would have to consider his future if he continued to crash. 

A clean weekend in Baku followed before Schumacher starred in a wet qualifying in Canada to secure sixth on the grid, only to suffer a heartbreaking retirement in the grand prix itself. 

Schumacher’s prospects did not look great at Silverstone after he was dumped out of Q1 with a time good enough for only 19th on the grid. But he capitalised on a dramatic, wild race and worked his way up into the top 10. 

For the final 10 laps after the Safety Car restart, Schumacher found himself in a battle over seventh place with Max Verstappen, who was struggling for pace in his damaged Red Bull.

Schumacher twice saw his attempts to overtake Verstappen rebuffed thanks to some stern defending from the Dutchman. He was narrowly pipped to P7 by Verstappen as they ran wheel-to-wheel through the final corner. 

Despite being forced to settle with seventh place, Schumacher could not hide his emotions as he burst into celebration over his radio after crossing the line. 

“Finally, I told you guys it was this weekend! Oh my god, you guys are brilliant,” Schumacher said, before swearing. 

After laughing, he politely apologised for his language: “Excuse my swearing!”

Not only was it a hugely important result to give Schumacher a much-needed confidence boost amid his fight to keep his place on the F1 grid, it also helped Haas leapfrog Aston Martin into eighth in the constructors’ championship.

“Overall, we are really happy coming from P19. I said we had the speed to go forwards and we showed it today,” Schumacher said. 

“It’s great for the team, to have a double score in the points. That’s obviously very helpful in the constructors’. 

“For me, I think it’s great to just get those questions from the media away and focus on what’s really important, and that’s the racing and the driving itself.”

Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, who has acted as something of a mentor figure for Schumacher, revealed he was delighted for his close friend and fellow compatriot.

“I was actually screaming inside the car like, ‘Go Mick - go get him!’” Vettel said after the race. .

“I’m very happy for him - I think it’s been a long time that he deserves the result, and it’s great to get it.”

A British Grand Prix breakthrough might just be the turning point Schumacher needed in his sophomore F1 campaign.