Ralf Schumacher has found the positives in Mick Schumacher's performance at the Miami Grand Prix weekend, even if it ended in disappointment.

The German driver has got a more competitive car at his disposal this season compared to the one he had in 2021 and, indeed, Haas team-mate Kevin Magnussen has underlined that with some good points-paying finishes.

For Mick, though, the wait for a first-ever world championship point in Formula 1 is going to continue until at least the Spanish Grand Prix next weekend, after a late accident with compatriot and in-paddock friend Sebastian Vettel.

Mick was looking good for a first-ever top ten finish in the sport in the US on Sunday, before a late lunge on Vettel saw both men drop out of the points, and it was obviously heart-aching for Schumacher who'd actually been so strong for the duration of the weekend.

Indeed, he'd been quick in practice and in qualifying, before applying himself in the Grand Prix well, and his uncle Ralf, speaking to Sky Germany, said that overall Mick had a good weekend, and that Ferrari's Team Principal Mattia Binotto will have noted that with the young Schumacher part of the driver academy the Scuderia have:

“What was more important to me is that Mick had a very good weekend. He was consistently faster than his teammate and created the basis for himself to finish in the points using his own strength.

MIAMI, FLORIDA - MAY 08: Mick Schumacher of Germany driving the (47) Haas F1 VF-22 Ferrari on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Miami at the Miami International Autodrome on May 08, 2022 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

“So the trend is going in the right direction, and that is exactly what Mattia Binotto wants to see.”

Certainly, Mick had a better weekend overall than Kevin but he knows that that needs to happen more regularly if he is to eventually earn a shot at Ferrari.

The F1 circus heads to Barcelona next, then, and Schumacher will want his points drought to come to an end there.