Mick Schumacher ‘must be able to beat’ Kevin Magnussen to earn future Ferrari seat

Haas teammate Magnussen has got the better of Schumacher in the early stages of the season

Schumacher is yet to score any points so far this season (AFP via Getty Images)

Mick Schumacher needs to beat Haas teammate Kevin Magnussen if he is going to secure a Ferrari seat in the future, says former F1 driver Marc Surer.

Schumacher, 23, is the son of seven-time world champion Michael who won five titles in a row with the Scuderia between 2000 and 2004.

The Haas driver has struggled for results so far this season, finishing 11th in Bahrain, 13th in Melbourne, and not being able to start the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in between.

By contrast, his teammate Magnussen managed an incredibly impressive fifth place in the season opener, followed by ninth in Saudi and 14th in Australia.

As a result, Magnussen has so far outperformed Schumacher in two of the first three races and has 12 points in the drivers’ standings compared to the German’s none.

This is something Surer believes Schumacher needs to address if he has aspirations of joining Ferrari later in his career.

Speaking to the Formel1.de YouTube channel, he said: “Mick Schumacher didn’t actually drive in all three races. That means he couldn’t exploit Haas’ potential.

“He just has to deal with this situation now and then slowly work his way up. He’s someone who learns, so I’m not worried about that. He’ll catch up over the course of the season.

“He has to beat Magnussen, maybe not every race. We always know that there are other factors that come into play.

“But Mick has to be able to beat Magnussen if he ever wants to be in the Ferrari. Otherwise he’ll never get a seat.”