Schumacher’s set-up input gives Mercedes a “super advantage” – Wolff · RaceFans

Mercedes reserve driver Mick Schumacher has been praised for his function within the group’s current upswing in type.

The 24-year-old, who misplaced his race seat with Haas on the finish of final season, was name-checked by the group’s racers following their double podium end within the Spanish Grand Prix.

Schumacher’s function on the group entails working within the simulator on Fridays throughout race weekends to hone the set-up of the W14s raced by Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

Whereas all groups have drivers performing related roles, Mercedes chief Toto Wolff says having the ability to name on somebody with expertise of racing the present era of automobiles is particularly helpful.

“Initially, it’s nice to have a mature, profitable and skilled F1 driver supporting us within the sim and together with his suggestions,” mentioned Wolff. “That could be a great benefit on among the European grands prix having him within the sim in a single day, and offering information for the Saturday is a brilliant benefit for us.”

The group additionally has the reassurance that if both driver was unable to race “then we all know we’ve got a brilliant man that will drive the automotive nicely” mentioned Wolff. The group needed to take care of that very scenario when Hamilton caught Covid-19 in 2020 and Russell was referred to as up from Williams to substitute for him alongside Valtteri Bottas.

Schumacher lastly had the prospect to drive the actual W14 quickly after the Spanish Grand Prix. The group remained on the Circuit of Catalonia within the week after the race for a Pirelli tyre check. Russell and Schumacher examined the newest era of tyres below growth by Pirelli.

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Given the main target of that check was to offer information for Pirelli, there was restricted advantages for Mercedes past creating their understanding of the prototype variations of the tyres that will – topic to approval from F1’s 10 groups – be launched sooner or later.

“He was I believe very, very conscious that the job of a driver in these circumstances is simply to be a good metronome for the tyre guys to make their conclusions concerning the tyres,” Mercedes’ technical director James Allison mentioned of the check.

Whereas Schumacher was criticised by his former Haas group principal Guenther Steiner for a collection of expensive crashes final yr, Allison praised his skilled strategy to his testing duties. “Provided that if we shunt the factor, that you simply’re really paying for all of the repairs out of the fee cap, it’s undoubtedly [essential] to not shunt the factor!

“So he drove properly, repeatedly, reliably, and gave us the platform for the tyre engineers to make their conclusions.”

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