Mick Schumacher doesn't think that he is ready for the jump to motorsport's pinnacle. The son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher will compete in the FIA Formula 3 European championship this year with Prema.
The German turned 18 in March - and is already older than Max Verstappen was when he made his F1 debut in 2015. However, Schumacher doesn't see the need to rush: "They took the step to go early into formula one but I'm not ready for it yet."
Last year, he competed for the Formula 4 German title but missed out in the final round: "It hasn't worked out yet," he said. "Probably I am not consistent enough. But my goal in the next few years is to win, of course."
The Formula 3 European championship is seen as a vital series for a young driver to gain a reputation and as seen many past and present drivers take part: "It is my first year so for me it is about learning and trying to be at the front in the rookie ranking. (For) now I'm doing my thing. I still have to prove myself as a driver and improve a bit further."
He has already gained attention from Mercedes and Ferrari, and labels their interest as flattering: "It means that I'm doing something right already. I always try to give my best, I want to compete with the best and they are all in F1.
And in the meantime, he will continue to adjust to the huge media attention on his rise to F1: "This is part of the sport," said Schumacher. "It's better if I get used to it now rather than later, when that interest will be perhaps twice as high."
Fergal Walsh
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f1fan0101
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Hopefully we will see him there one day