Amid the drama throughout the action-packed British Grand Prix, there was a proud moment for Mick Schumacher as he secured his best ever Formula 1 finish.
The young German finished eighth in his Haas, finally scoring points for the first time since he made the step up to single-seater motorsport's premier category. It might have been even better for him, as he came close but eventually failed to overtake the ailing Red Bull of Max Verstappen for seventh place.
Nevertheless, a career-best result left Schumacher, son of seven-time world champion Michael, jumping for joy at the end of the race. And before he could get out of his car to do that, he expressed his emotions over team radio – swiftly followed by an apology for his bad language.
"Finally! I told you guys this is the weekend. Oh my God!" he yelled to his race engineer after crossing the line. "You guys are brilliant. You guys are brilliant, man. F**king hell! You guys are f**king brilliant! F**king... excuse my swearing."
Speaking to reporters after the race, Schumacher spoke of the relief he felt after finally breaking his F1 duck. "For me, I think it's great to just get those questions from the media away and focus on what's really important, and that's the racing and the driving," he said.
Close friend and mentor Sebastian Vettel later revealed he had been cheering for his fellow German to overtake Verstappen inside the cockpit of his Aston Martin while trying to secure his own points finish. "I was actually screaming inside the car like, ‘Go Mick – go get him'," he revealed while sat next to Schumacher, who burst out laughing.
"I'm very happy for him – I think it's been a long time that he deserves the result, and it's great to get it." It was a good day all round for Haas, as Kevin Magnussen added an extra point to the team's tally by finishing 10th.
And the Dane revealed his delight for his much younger team-mate after a long wait for a top-10 finish. "[In] FP3 Mick showed great pace so I certainly had a good feeling for today's race because he showed there is lap time in the car," Magnussen told Sky Sports F1.
"I was feeling like it was probably just a wet thing. Although we've been good in the wet, somehow we were just bad yesterday, and really happy for the team and happy for Mick. To get both both cars in the points today, I'm sure everyone in the team must be smiling a lot."
