The 2021 F1 grid has a lot of interesting drivers to keep your eyes out for. While the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso may take up most of the limelight, there is one other driver who will be the focus of constant media attention. That driver is Mick Schumacher.

The young German has signed up with Haas for the forthcoming season. Due to his surname, there are big expectations from him.

However, Mick has justified his inclusion in F1 thanks to his performances in the junior series. Much more so with his most recent achievement, the 2020 F2 championship.

Driving for the American team, expectations won’t be too high from Mick. Haas is expected to be battling for the wooden spoon along with the likes of Williams and Alfa Romeo.

Nevertheless, the least he’ll be expected to do is beat his teammate Nikita Mazepin. But is that a reasonable expectation from Schumacher in his maiden F1 season?

Will Mick Schumacher disappoint in his first year with Haas?

For those thinking that Mick may blaze his teammate, the reality may not quite be so. Schumacher’s record points out to the fact that he’s a slow starter in any series. History suggests Mick needs the second bite of the cherry to come good.

In his maiden F3 European Championship, Mick was the 4th best driver in his team. The new Haas man only managed 94 points in the 2017 campaign.

In comparison, his teammates Maximilian Gunther (383 points), Callum Ilott (344 points), and Guanyu Zhou (149 points) trounced him in the championship.

Similarly, his maiden F2 campaign could be categorized as a bust too. Yes, he did beat his teammate Sean Gelael, but for anyone who follows F2, they’d know that’s not a high bar. Schumacher’s year came to a close with just 53 points in 2019.

This proves that it takes Mick a long time to adjust to the team and the environment. To do so at Haas might be even tougher.

He’ll have the taskmaster Guenther Steiner on his back as well as Mazepin, who could be difficult to deal with both on and off the track.

So it won’t be unreasonable to suggest that in his maiden F1 season, Mick would most likely finish behind Mazepin. He’d most likely compete with his teammate and Nicholas Latifi in the Drivers’ championship table. However, we’d love to see him prove us wrong.