Sebastian Vettel has admitted time and again that as a young racing driver, he always used to look up to Michael Schumacher. Schumacher’s amazing success served as a great inspiration for many drivers in the world, including the former F1 champion. And when Sebastian Vettel reached the pinnacle of the racing world, he became great friends with Schumacher, bagging many Race of Champions titles jointly with the legend.
Today, Vettel is considered one of the senior on the grid and is in turn serving as a sounding board and inspiration for no one but Michael Schumacher’s son, Mick Schumacher. There’s nothing denying that Ferrari is the ultimate ride for not only the aspiring F1 drivers like Mick, but also for anyone interested in classic and stylish road cars. Mick’s love for Ferrari came very naturally and this year has proven to be a sort of breakout season for the Schumacher Jr as he is closing in on the finale of his first F2 campaign.
He won his maiden F2 race with PREMA, in Budapest earlier this year in August. Being a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, he drove the Schumacher senior’s title winning F2004 in the German GP weekend, and carried out tests for both Alfa Romeo as well as Ferrari in Bahrain, getting to watch Sebastian Vettel operate from up and close in the current F1 season.
Shares great rapport with Vettel
Talking to the Motorsport Magazin website recently, he spoke about the relationship he shares with the four-time world champion. He said, “I’ve got a great deal of respect for him. We talk a lot about motorsport. I try to get tips from him and put them into practice. He’s been in the sport quite a few more years than me, so every conversation we have helps. I think what my dad was to Sebastian, he is for me: someone that I’m close to, with whom I can talk about motor sport.”
Talking about his first F2 campaign, Mick said that it’s been about triumphing despite adversity, having faced plenty of ups and downs in the season. He spoke about getting frustrated at times, but then realising that it’s all a learning process for him right now and that the harder times will make him a stronger driver.
He laid emphasis on the fact that the pressure can be enormous if you join Formula One and then all of a sudden discover that nothing is going right for you. Such situations can break any driver, and it is only someone who has been through the rough, and has risen up through difficult times, who can handle such situations successfully.
As of now, Mick Schumacher is keen on continuing the learning process at Ferrari. He admits that the Schumacher name will always remain emblematic for him. He has been all praises for PREMA F2 squad and has often talked about their terrific passion for the motorsport. It’s very good to see how important Mick considers the family values and how important his family has been for F1. However, not many knew till now the kind of equation he shared with Sebastian Vettel. Which is obviously going to help him a lot going forward.
Leave a Reply