Mick Schumacher admitted that he has been shocked to see how much work goes on behind the scenes in a Formula 1 team during race weekends since he started his new role as reserve driver for Mercedes.
Schumacher spent two seasons racing for Haas at the back of the grid before being dropped by the squad at the end of 2022, following a series of expensive mistakes that incurred the wrath of team boss Guenther Steiner.
But he's landed on his feet with his new role at Brackley, which has given the 24-year-old son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher a whole new perspective on the sport.
“It’s an interesting period for me as I get to look over and work with two fantastic drivers, which you don’t always get to do," he wrote in a diary piece for the Mercedes F1 website this week.
“I’ve learned a lot about what’s important in terms of approaching race weekends," he added "I feel like I’ve already gained so much knowledge to add to my skillset.
“I didn’t think I would have learned and gained so much so early into my role," he admitted, saying it had been "fascinating" working with the team's drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
In particular, Schumacher hadn't realised how much back-and-forth communication went on within the team during the race weekend when the driver is typically cocooned in the cockpit to a large degree.
“As a driver, you usually do not get to hear what is going on between all the engineers while you are out on the track," he admitted. "So listening in during the sessions has been extremely interesting.
“I was quite shocked at the season opener in Bahrain, I did not expect the sheer amount of exchange that happens," he said. “You don’t know what you’re missing until you are actually part of it.
“What I really appreciate in working with those engineers is that they are genuinely listening to you, and your opinion matters."
It's not just the facts and figures that have meant so much to Schumacher. His father was part of the team's original all-German driver line-up in 2010 alongside Nico Rosberg.
Michael had already retired from the sport by then but returned to the grid to help get the new works team up and running, a year after the manufacturer bought up surprise 2009 team champions Brawn GP as the basis for its new project.
"What is special from an emotional side is that many people who are working for the team now were working here when my dad was driving," said Mick.
"There’s still a lot of people I haven’t met but it’s been fun getting to know as many colleagues as I can," he added.
"I’ve been settling in great," he continued. "Everybody is just so open-minded towards me, and that made me feel welcome from the first moment I stepped into the factory in Brackley.
"I’ve spent a lot of time there in these first months. It’s a very impressive facility," he noted. “My main focus up to now has been working in the simulator.
©Mercedes
“The simulator team have been super kind to me and great to work with. It’s impressive to drive the sim because it’s just so advanced, and I have been pushing to do more.
"Because I have raced a car under this new set of regulations, I have a good understanding of how to drive them. That has helped me in my role so far and hopefully added value for the team.
"I will look to be an extra pair of eyes and resource to help with the development programme across the year.
" It’s not enough for me to just sit on the side-lines, I want to be helpful wherever I can. Of course, it’s not the real thing and I would love to be driving the W14!”
While he's happy with his current role for the trime being, Schumacher has made it clear in the past that he's seeking nothing less than a rapid return to the Grand Prix grid in a full-time capacity.
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