Max Verstappen was under pressure in his Formula 1 debut, but he still managed to find his place in the sport with early promotion to Red Bull Racing and race wins. But the Dutchman admits that this is nothing compared to what Mick Schumacher has faced so far – In essence, Max’s father Jos Verstappen wasn’t as successful as Mick’s father Michael Schumacher, therefore less expectation.
The son of a former Formula One driver, Max Verstappen naturally had a certain amount of pressure on his shoulders in his early days, but Mick Schumacher has had it worse in 2021, his debut season. The son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, the 22-year-old driver was expected to make his debut in the sport.
In the end, the German did not do too badly at the wheel of his Haas F1 car, even if his results suggest otherwise (19th at the end of the season). Verstappen admitted that the pressure on Mick Schumacher’s shoulders was much greater than his own because of his father, the joint record holder for the number of Formula One titles.
“It was different for Mick than for me. We didn’t feel the same pressure.”
“It was different for Mick than for me. We didn’t have the same pressure.
“I had pressure from my father, I talked about it a lot. It was hard but it was worth it. For Mick, his father was the record holder, with seven world championships. It’s a difficult starting position at the beginning.
“Even in the karting days, there was always press around him. In Formula 4, Formula 3 and Formula 2, the hype has become even greater. But he has a good environment, good people who care about him now,” said the Red Bull champion in an interview for F1-Insider.
Mick Schumacher isn’t a natural driver nor does he have anywhere near the talent his father did. He’s largely relied on his name to get where he is. This is a make or break year for him. Unless he shows some real talent, he’ll never get anywhere near a top team. Ferrari will have both Sainz and Leclerc under contract until the end of 2024 and they also have too many junior drivers who have more talent than Schumacher. To say Schumacher is being over-hyped would be an understatement.
True. But tre article is about the pressure the driver feels having the surname he has. And the name Schumacher (sr) certeinly makes more waves then the name Verstappen (sr).
The 2021 Haas was so bad the only pressure Schumacher had was to beat Mazepin, which isn’t much of a feat. Verstappen on the other hand had to beat Sainz, who was a highly regarded Red Bull junior. Verstappen was able in 2015 to get a couple of 4th place finishes in a car that was at the bottom of the mid-field.
True that Mick is quite ordinary. Both Ralf and Mick have thrived only because of the surname.
Time Mick produced a son who would have Michael’s genes. Or became a commentator.
I promise Max next time never win f1