Mick Schumacher was left feeling relieved after very narrowly escaping an incident with Carlos Sainz during the latter's race-ending spin in the Australian Grand Prix. Schumacher had been running close to the Ferrari driver in the opening laps of the event until, on Lap 3, Sainz went off track going into Turn 10. His F1-75 became beached in the gravel, putting him out of the event. Reflecting on the battle after the race, Schumacher admitted that he was simply happy to avoid getting caught up in Sainz's exit, given that the Ferrari had come close to collecting him. "It was a very eventful [afternoon]," the Haas driver explained. "I think, right from the beginning with Carlos coming around and coming back across the track, I just - I think - got missed by a few metres there."
Schumacher explains what he was thinking during Sainz fight
Schumacher says that he had to act fast to get himself out of the way of Sainz's car as it headed off the circuit. "I saw him, [and] I thought to myself, 'That's a late brake,'" the German commented. "And then I just saw he went off. I wasn't sure if he was spinning on the grass, but then I saw he was spinning and then I was like, 'I should probably put some throttle on to get through!' "Then actually, as it came, he cut across. So [I'm] obviously quite happy that we got away with that." It wasn't the only close call for Schumacher at Albert Park, with a near-miss occurring when he had to swerve to avoid Yuki Tsunoda ahead of him as they drove behind the Safety Car.
Positives for Haas to take from Australia
Haas generally had a more challenging weekend in Australia than they had faced during the opening two rounds of the season. However, Schumacher thinks that he can take some important lessons from his eventful afternoon in Melbourne. "[There was] lots learned, maybe some negatives but also a lot of positives," he reflected after ending the day in 13th, one spot ahead of teammate Kevin Magnussen. "[We've] just got to understand it, take it with us and then hopefully be better in Imola."
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