Ferrari surprised: 'Haas didn't develop the car at all'

Mick Schumacher will not only drive a Haas car next season but will also be Ferrari's reserve driver. Mattia Binotto emphasized in conversation with RACER that he has a lot of confidence in the driver.

The rookie started the season disappointingly but steadily climbed his way up the ranks in recent months. Although he did not manage to score any points for his team, the Ferrari team boss saw enough starting points to draw confidence from. The decision to appoint Schumacher as reserve driver was therefore not complicated.

"He’s a Ferrari driver, we should not forget that," Binotto noted. "Mick did well through the season — he improved himself not only in terms of consistency but also in terms of speed. If you look at the last races, he was a lot closer to the cars ahead, and Haas didn’t develop the car at all."

Giovinazzi also employable as reserve driver

Schumacher is not Ferrari's only reserve driver in 2022, as Antonio Giovinazzi is also deployable. The Italian left Formula 1 at the end of 2021 but may get another chance to show himself at Ferrari. Giovinazzi previously indicated that he is not yet done with Formula 1 and is therefore happy to return if the opportunity arises.