Former Williams driver and six-time Grand Prix winner Ralf Schumacher has lavished praise on Haas driver Kevin Magnussen, stating that the Dane has shown a marked improvement since his last race in 2019.
Schumacher, who is the uncle of Haas’ other driver Mick Schumacher, also went on to elaborate on how his nephew now has a good benchmark and his focus should now shift towards matching his new teammate after outpacing his previous teammate Nikita Mazepin.
“Kevin has always been super fast,” Schumacher said to F1-Insider.
“But I think he took the next step during the year break. I tip my hat to him. How he got the maximum out of the car, both in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, despite having major technical problems in free practice there. That is absolutely world class.
“Mick can now orientate himself on him. If he’s at eye level with him, he’s done a great job.”
Challenge for Mick Schumacher
Mick Schumacher certainly has a challenge in the form of Magnussen. The Dane brings a wealth of experience with him and was once touted as a future world champion while rising through the ranks in the junior formula.
On the other hand, the arrival of Magnussen gives Schumacher the chance to silence his critics, especially if he can get the upper hand on the former McLaren junior. The young German has faced growing criticism of late, with his qualifying crash at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix probably his lowest moment in the sport, especially given the seven-figure repair bill.
Looking at Magnussen, the Dane has performed remarkably since his return to the sport and as highlighted by the German pundit, has performed spectacularly during the first two races of the 2022 F1 season.
