Kevin Magnussen says Mick Schumacher's improving form in the back half of the season has made the German "super hard" to beat and worthy of retaining his seat with Haas for 2023.
Schumacher's early races this year were marked by a couple of costly crashes – in Jeddah and in Monaco – that put his future in F1 in jeopardy.
But improvements at the start of the summer and maiden F1 points scored at Silverstone and in Austria boosted Schumacher's stock.
While there haven't been any additional top-ten finishes for the 23-year-old since mid-July, Magnussen's own track record isn't better.
It's been a draw between the two drivers in terms of qualifying and race results in the last six rounds. But while Haas team boss Guenther Steiner is considering other candidates for Schumacher's seat – namely Nico Hulkenberg and Antonio Giovinazzi, Magnussen offers a compelling case in favour of keeping his teammate onboard in 2023.
Read also:
"First of all, I haven’t had any influence on what’s been going on with drivers – that’s totally out of my hands," commented the Dane ahead of this weekend's US Grand Prix.
"If I just look at Mick, I think he’s really been improving all year. He started off maybe not really liking the car and lacking a bit of confidence, but he’s really gained that.
"Lately, he’s been super hard to beat, for me. I think, [with] the way he’s driving right now, he definitely deserves a place on the grid.
"But again, it’s totally out of my hands, and I can only sort of just wish him well."
©Haas
Schumacher knows what he needs to do to retain his seat with Haas, or to remain among motorsport's elite.
But the German claims he isn't daunted by the task of proving his worth, or by any lingering pressure.
"We keep in touch, we keep talking," Schumacher said, referring to his relationship with Haas.
"We don’t want to pressurise anybody, they don’t want to pressurise me either. It’ll happen naturally. I’m happy where I’m at.
"My life… the moment I chose racing as a profession, it’s always been filled with pressure. I think I probably thrive through pressure."
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
