No engine update for Ferrari customer teams yet: 'That's the goal'

There is understandably a lot of attention on the arrival of Mick Schumacher to Formula One. As the son of racing legend Michael Schumacher the big question is if and when he will make the switch to Scuderia Ferrari. The Italian team currently has a strong line-up with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. Schumacher will therefore have to settle for the scraps that are thrown at Haas.

Since the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi, Ferrari has had an improved 1.6-litre V6 engine, as a test for the 2022 season. However, it looks like Schumacher will not have to count on a major update for his Haas car next year.

Ferrari have been running an engine update since the Russian Grand Prix, with the hybrid components optimised. Leclerc subsequently finished fourth in Turkey and Texas, so the update seems to be working. The update is seen as a test, with a view to the fully revamped powerplant scheduled for 2022.

No updates for Schumacher and Haas

Laurent Mekies, Ferrari's sporting director, confirmed in Sochi that testing new parts is the priority. "The main goal in using this drive is to test certain parts for 2022, " he said according to Speedweek.com. "We have worked very hard to get the improved hybrid components on the track this early."

Haas team boss Guenther Steiner confirmed during the United States Grand Prix weekend that there will be no engine update, but he says his team has little to gain from it anyway. "Using an improved engine would not have made a big difference to our car this season," the Italian said. "When you use something new, there are also problems with stability. For us, it would be better if Ferrari used the last races of this season to test things regarding next year's engine. The better the Ferrari engine becomes, the happier I am", Steiner said.

American Haas has yet to score any points in the 2021 Formula One season and will most likely finish last in the world championship. Schumacher's best result to date was a 12th place finish in Hungary.