Damon Hill gives verdict on "strength and ability" of Mick Schumacher

British former racing driver from England Damon Hill, who during the mid-1990s was Michael Schumacher’s main rival for the Formula One Drivers’ Championship, admitted that he is impressed by Ferrari Driver Academy member Mick Schumacher after the young German driver of Haas driver showed a good performance in the latest round of the 2021 Formula 1 season, the Hungarian Grand Prix.

As a result of the unpredictable events which took place in the opening lap of the Hungarian Grand Prix, with several cars having to retire or suffering damage, Mick Schumacher got the chance to fight against the 2021 Formula 1 title contenders Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton in the first part of the race. The Ferrari junior managed to put up a good fight against the much faster cars of Mercedes and Red Bull, making Damon Hill feel that this points to a lot of promise.

“Bit of a feisty driver, is Mick. [He was] banging wheels with Max. Max gave him a bit of a biff coming out of Turn 3, moved over on him and he’d [Verstappen] already lost his bargeboard on the right hand side [in the first lap incident with Valtteri Bottas]. Then he kind of gave Mick a bit of a nudge going into Turn 4, but Mick [was] putting up a very strong defence. With George Russell, I thought his move around the outside of Mick was incredibly brave. He gave no quarter at all. He [Mick] might be in a slower car, but he’s determined to fight so we’ll be keen to see how he develops.” – he explained.

The former racing driver is confident that the Ferrari junior has the potential to be very strong in a faster car in the future.

“[He] got a bit of limelight,” the 1996 Formula 1 World Champion said. “It’s good. They do say in acting there’s no small parts, only small actors, so if you’re in a team that’s not at the front, it’s still an opportunity. I can’t honestly say I’m not impressed by Mick. I think he’s showing his strength and I think he’s showing ability. I think he’s also showing he’s a bit of a fighter as well, so it will be good to see him in a more competitive car in the future.” – Damon Hill concluded.