Formula 2 driver Mick Schumacher admits there are downsides to following in the footsteps of his seven-times world champion father Michael.
The 19-year-old, who joined the Ferrari Driver Academy earlier this month, has made few public remarks on the legacy of his father, who was seriously injured in a skiing accident five years ago.“I am happy to be the son of the greatest F1 racer of all time,” said Schumacher in an interview with the FIA’s Auto magazine. “I’m happy that he is the greatest F1 racer of all time, and I admire him for that.
“And even if sometimes it can be a bit difficult, it is what it is. There are good sides to it and there are bad sides.
“Having the support I have from a lot of people all over the world can’t be a bad thing. I am thankful for that.”
Last year Schumacher scored won first single-seater championship in European Formula Three. He described how his father once asked him if he wanted to pursue a professional racing career.
“Racing and karting is quite a normal thing in my family and I always loved to go karting with my father. It was big fun sharing that with him and I remember him asking one day if this would be a hobby for me or if I wanted to do it as a professional.
Schumacher took until the mid-way point of last year’s F3 season to score his first win in the category. After that a string of victories put him on course for a comfortable championship victory.
“It started in Spa and then in Nurburgring, where I won all three races, it was clear that the title was in reach. In hindsight it may sound strange, but throughout the season I never thought the title was out of sight, I was always convinced that it was still possible to win it.
“We had the pace, but there always seemed to be something that didn’t go right, but I firmly believed we would sort that out.”
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Formula Two
- F2 champion Pourchaire to make IndyCar debut for McLaren at Long Beach
- Prema announce move into IndyCar with new two-car team in 2025
- “In my mind I won twice this weekend” says Hadjar after penalty
- Fortune finally favours Hadjar with Melbourne feature race win
- Bearman loses first F2 point of 2024 after penalty
banana88x (@banana88x)
31st January 2019, 16:06
Michael is certainly not in the condition to give advice to his son.
Otherwise Mick would have shared it.
Honestly I just hope that Michael is able to follow Mick´s career and to feel pride for it.
BasCB (@bascb)
1st February 2019, 9:32
Who knows @banana88x. The advice would be something like “work hard, talk with your engineers a lot to understand them and be able to communicate things about how to improve the car, don’t panick if things go wrong” and hopefully to enjoy it while he is doing it.
Is that worth telling the world about?
Tom
5th October 2020, 12:58
he can do other works insted not playing with cars if they arent meant for him.. dad is dad, why follow him follow the righteous road in different direction..
petebaldwin (@)
31st January 2019, 18:02
That’s a very mature answer from him. Admits there are bad sides to it but is quick to balance it out with the massive positives of having the Schumacher name. Can you imagine what someone like Lance Stroll would say in that position?
Gabriel (@rethla)
31st January 2019, 21:01
We dont have to imagine.
Robbie (@robbie)
2nd February 2019, 14:27
@petebaldwin No I don’t understand what you are getting at with respect to Stroll. Enlighten us as to what it is you think he would say. I’m sure your answer to your own schoolyard question will be very mature.
petebaldwin (@)
2nd February 2019, 18:27
@robbie Someone’s in a bad mood today eh? Phew….. Football team lost?
Anyway, if he was in Mick’s position, the entire article would be about how difficult it is having the Schumacher name. Mick Schumacher has shown more humility in one interview than Lance Stroll has in his career in F1.
Let’s do a direct comparison. Lance won F3 and having done so, he said the the following:
“I believe I have earned my shot in Formula One. I have won F3 and we all know F3 is a very high level.”
Mick Schumacher has just won F3 as well. Does he therefore think he deserves to race in F1 now? No! He is delighted to be in the Ferrari programme and is getting ready for a season of F2. He even publicly stated “At this stage it is however also time to say thank you to my family, friends and partners who supported me all along and helped me arrive at this point.”
Has Lance publicly thanked his dad? The closest I can find is:
“For the moment I’m here at Williams, I’m not sure what I’ll be doing in the future. We’ll see what my father decides to do with me. He’s a nice guy. I hope he’ll take me!”
Aaditya (@neutronstar)
3rd February 2019, 9:21
@petebaldwin It is ridiculous to suggest that Stroll isn’t thankful to his father. The quote you’ve used against him is without context; he said that after he made it to Formula 1. If Mick had somehow made it to the F1 grid of 2019, he wouldn’t have disagreed with that sentiment either.
I don’t blame Stroll for not having shown the ‘humility’ everyone seems to be so deeply attracted to. If people had given him a chance instead of continuously ridiculing him from the moment he set foot into this sport, he might not have felt the need to be defensive in his comments. I’m not saying that the criticisms are unjustified, but if masses of people keep being vitriolic towards someone every chance they get, it’s only natural for that someone to develop some sort of a self-defense mechanism in response.
Lance isn’t even that bad, and for every bit of great fortune, he has had to face great ire from the fans. Now, people are just looking for the smallest of opportunities to drag him under the bus…I’m fine if he doesn’t show any ‘redeeming’ behaviour in ‘public’. The F1 fans are the last people on this planet he should feel obligated to please.
Robbie (@robbie)
3rd February 2019, 13:34
@neutronstar Thank you for saving me some texting. Some people just feel the need to desperately reach to extremes to shoot down someone they don’t like, even when it embarrasses themselves in the process.
Jan
31st January 2019, 23:39
I think “one of the best” would have been more accurate.
Manox (@marussi)
31st January 2019, 23:55
Let me guess, he should say senna as well? For me schumacher is the best and I would say the same thing if he was my dad
Big Joe
1st February 2019, 9:32
@marussi
Schumacher didnt get a single pole postion until Senna died. He also cracked under pressure much more than Senna.
erikje
1st February 2019, 11:47
And senna was the greatest then?
Not really, his death formed the legend for a big part. In that time prost was on sennas level.
Mick
1st February 2019, 15:58
1st, Last, What’s the difference?
MacLeod (@macleod)
1st February 2019, 7:57
Ofcourse he can call HIS father the best as it is a person He look up to.
Adrian Hancox (@ahxshades)
1st February 2019, 8:22
What a very poor response – of course he will say that about his own father – why would you criticise something like this!
Shimks (@shimks)
1st February 2019, 8:30
Go and stand in the corner, Jan!
BasCB (@bascb)
1st February 2019, 9:33
Yeah, that would probably be far more accurate Jan. But then, it is his own father he is talking about, so we can forgive him IMO
Jan
1st February 2019, 17:39
Father or not, he’s making a claim that isn’t true but of course I don’t blame him.
I know he is a good kid – I just said it would have been more accurate and I stand by that claim.
Seems some Schuey fans got their knickers in a twist.
Dex
1st February 2019, 23:29
The most successful driver but not the best!
Esploratore (@esploratore)
2nd February 2019, 1:39
Some of us also consider him the best, not only most successful, and given how the formula is evolving, becoming most successful is gonna get easier and easier, you have more seasons, you have more races.
Fangio has more claim to being the best ever than hamilton does, however when it comes to being most successful he isn’t in contention cause he only drove a handful of races!
Big Joe
1st February 2019, 9:36
Will he hand it to Lewis in 2 seasons time?
Casanova (@casanova)
1st February 2019, 10:54
The article text quotes him as saying his father “is the greatest” but in the article title and URL, it says “was the greatest”. Which is the correct quote? I am presuming and hoping it is the former. The difference would be significant; it is important these things are exactly correct.
erikje
1st February 2019, 11:49
Something like.. Casanova was the greatest lover or Casanova is the greatest lover.
Sumedh
1st February 2019, 12:56
“was” could be because he is a former driver.. For example, Prost was the most thinking driver.
anonim
1st February 2019, 12:19
Ayrton Senna was greatest F1 racer
erikje
1st February 2019, 14:22
Is that you Bruno?
Mckrtek
1st February 2019, 16:49
Haha, a good one!
Esploratore (@esploratore)
2nd February 2019, 1:41
Senna wasn’t even necessarily better than prost, which is one of the greatest as well.
Big Joe
1st February 2019, 16:57
Ben Johnson was ‘the greatest’ sprinter (according to his daughter and grand daughter, and his fans)
Pjotr (@pietkoster)
1st February 2019, 20:49
Probably right untill a better one proves different.
Hadzhiev (@hadzhiev)
2nd February 2019, 9:29
I believe M. Schumacher still is the best. The will, maturity and consistency of his have been still unmatched – and the sheer talent of knowing where was the absolute limit of a car as well.
Seann (@canuckfan)
2nd February 2019, 18:27
To be the best, it has to be honest winnings. Schuey was notorious for driving others off the track, even his teammates. I remember his antics with Barrichello, Villeneuve, and Hill.
He was not a clean driver by any means.
Hadzhiev (@hadzhiev)
2nd February 2019, 18:44
When he did those moves – they were allowed. And you should try and watch Senna or Prost – which moves were also allowed back then.
The best does whatever is possible and allowed – to win. That’s the nature of the winners.
Craig
3rd February 2019, 11:15
I guess the word “Best” requires a bit more defining sometimes. If you are looking at results then you will have one answer. If you look at conduct, spirit, pure guts and relentlessness, you may get another. Or even a tie. To consider someone the best, depends on your own criteria in a lot of cases. Otherwise it would be clear cut and there would never be any discussion.
JMDan (@danmar)
10th February 2019, 20:51
Of course, he’ll brag about his dad.