Mick Schumacher Q&A: Miami Grand Prix

Formula 1 heads to the Magic City for the newest addition to the calendar – the Miami Grand Prix. Have you visited the city before, what do you know about Miami and what are you looking forward to this week?

“I haven’t visited Miami yet actually, I’ve just driven past it when I was younger. I’m very excited to go there, it’s a place I’ve always wanted to go and see and experience. The beach is quite known there, and my hotel is quite close, so I’ll probably get to go there and obviously I’m most excited about the race.”

 

The circuit is a 5.41km street track, with the Hard Rock Stadium at its center and numerous elevation changes between Turns 13 and 16. Can you take us through the highlights and overtaking opportunities through the course of a lap? 

“I haven’t driven the track so it’s difficult to say what the highlights are going to be and what it’s going to be like, but an American race is always fun. There’s always a lot of show, there are always celebrities that come who you wouldn’t get the opportunity to meet otherwise and it’s good to have the whole show broadcast. I think it’s great that we’re becoming more and more American in some ways because I think the fans are great and I enjoy myself every time I go. I’m excited about racing there more and more in the future.”

We know you’re a big fan of America, and next season Formula 1 will have three races in the US – what is it that attracts you?

“It’s mainly because it’s different. I wouldn’t say I’m a one-sided person – I’m very versatile in the stuff that I like. For example, Australia is a place I love, it could be the mountains in the north of Norway or even Switzerland but in America… My sister says that the sky seems bigger in the States, and it’s true in a way! Out there, it’s flat and where we are in Texas is very flat. The people are always very nice – I got stopped by a police officer last year and he was super kind and let me have a look at his car and there’s just a nice feeling to it.” 

 

The first five races of the season will see Haas F1 Team race across four different continents – how are you keeping fresh and focused and are you looking forward to getting into a rhythm when we head back to Europe? 

“I spend a lot of time in the places that we go to, beforehand. In Australia, I went a full week early and it’s similar in the States so I try to get there as early as I can and try to get into the rhythm. I tend not to stick around for too long after to then get back into the time zone of Europe, just because we have the European races coming up. Most of the places that I go to, I will look out for a gym. If it’s a hotel, I’ll look for one with a gym and if I’m at the ranch I’ve built my own gym so I can train when I’m there. When I go to places like Texas I’m always on my feet all day anyway, so it’s just a bonus if I have a gym.”