Engineer Schumacher: 'We are constantly learning, with Mick in particular'

Mick Schumacher has not yet had the rookie season he had hoped for. His team Haas F1 has barely developed the car since last season, leaving Schumacher alone in battle with teammate Nikita Mazepin at times. Schumacher's race engineer Gary Gannon is happy with the young German's development.

Gannon much praised for calmness

Gannon is honest when asked by The Race Asked if he ever gets it wrong as an engineer: "It’s difficult and I don’t think I always have it right, I’m learning with Mick and in general when to intervene and when not to." Gannon was much praised by the F1 world online for his calmness at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix when Schumacher lost his nose of the car in a crash and Gannon calmly guided him to the pit lane.

"So it is learning with him how quickly, how late I can give him input and how he can process it," Gannon continued. That goes far beyond just information on the track lets Gannon know. There's also a lot of communication back and forth between qualifying runs.

Haas on the back foot

"We’re constantly learning what the right level is with any driver, but with Mick this year in particular." With Haas having built up a sizeable backlog due to a failure to develop the car, the team is stiffly behind and Gannon sees this year as a good year to build the relationship with Schumacher. Haas is the only team without points in 2021 and is at the bottom of the table.