‘Leave him alone’: Sebastian Vettel sends message to Mick Schumacher’s critics

Schumacher crashed heavily at the Monaco Grand Prix and is yet to score a point in 2022

Sebastian Vettel (left) has defended Mick Schumacher and suggested the Haas driver needs to be ‘left alone’ (Getty Images)

Sebastian Vettel has suggested that it is best to “leave alone” Mick Schumacher after the Haas driver’s heavy crash at the Monaco Grand Prix.

A tough campaign for Schumacher continued in Monte Carlo, with the 23-year-old clipping a barrier on entry to the Swimming Pool Section and fortunate to avoid serious injury after sliding into the wall.

It was the German’s second major collision of the season, with his Haas again worryingly breaking in half in the incident.

After a promising debut season last year, Schumacher is yet to score in 2022 and has not been able to consistently match the performance of Kevin Magnussen, who replaced Nikita Mazepin as his teammate ahead of the start of the season.

Aston Martin’s Vettel has been something of a mentor to his compatriot since Schumacher entered the sport, and says he has “no doubt” that there is more to come from the young driver, suggesting that critics should give him time to improve.

“The most important thing is that he’s fine,” Vettel said of the crash in Monaco.

“I have no doubt that he can do more than he’s showing right now. But I think you have to leave him alone for a bit.”

Schumacher’s Haas breaks in half after a crash in the Monaco Grand Prix (Christian Bruna/AP) (AP)

Schumacher’s father, Michael, won a joint-record seven world titles during his Formula 1 career.

His son is yet to record a top-10 finish in F1 but did secure overall victory in his final season at Formula 3 (2018) and Formula 2 (2020) level.

The younger Schumacher was unable to start the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in February after a similarly sizeable crash in qualifying, but the Haas driver is not overly concerned about a second worrying incident of the season.

“I’m feeling alright,” Schumacher said on Sunday. “Obviously it’s very annoying.

“I think in terms of pace we were definitely there. It’s just a matter of keeping it on track and unfortunately I wasn’t able to do that.

“The pace felt strong and it felt like we were able to attack and push. We just ended up being a little too wide, which is maybe a matter of 10 centimetres at the end, and that was enough to lose all grip you thought you had. And unfortunately the result is as it happened.”