Schumacher: Tough long haul from Baku to Canada is 'crazy'

Mick Schumacher says its "crazy" that F1's schedule has forced teams to undertake a 9,000km trans-continental trip from Baku last weekend to Montreal.

The quirks of Grand Prix racing's calendar placed the eighth and ninth rounds of the 2022 F1 World Championship back-to-back with each other, making up a grueling double-header for the teams and their drivers.

The long haul not only imposes logistical constraints on team personnel but also preparation pressures with little time to turn things around.

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"For everybody, not just for us drivers, it’s a tough journey," said Schumacher ahead to this weekend's round of racing at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

"We go from one continent to another within a few days, which is crazy that it is that way, but that’s how it is and everyone has to handle it.

"I’m sure once everyone gets back to Europe, it will be slightly less stressful to get cars ready, pack up to leave a track and try to make it to the next race.

"It’s just more of a rhythm when we get to Europe but it’s still a huge amount of stress - albeit less than going from Azerbaijan to Canada."

F1 teams are hopeful of avoiding trans-continent double-headers in the future with the sport's plan to group races by regions to avoid needless constraints and extra costs.

F1 returns to Montreal after a three-absence due to the Covid pandemic, which means that Schumacher has never raced at the venue, although he remembers accompanying his father when the latter raced for Mercedes.

"I’ve been to Montreal maybe once or twice as a child, aged 11 or 12," he recalls. "I remember it was fun to go and visit because it was so different to all the other race tracks I’d been to before and you have the groundhogs running around which is quite fun.

"As a kid, I was fishing out the back of the Mercedes garage and I actually caught a few – I built the hook myself from the office stationery – and eventually we bought a little fishing rod.

"I also remember asking if I could go onto the grid, and the team said only if I made a cake. I baked a cake, did the frosting and once I gave it to them, I got the grid pass! I have good memories from Canada."

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