'Feel sorry for him': F1 icon's sad Mick Schumacher admission

Former Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone has offered a grim assessment of Mick Schumacher's highly anticipated debut in 2021.

All eyes will be on the son of legendary driver Michael Schumacher during his first race in F1 in Monday morning's season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

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The 22-year-old takes his seat at Haas alongside fellow rookie, Nikita Mazepin from Russia.

While Ecclestone says the Schumacher name belongs in F1, he's questioned the young gun's choice of Haas as a team.

"(Schumacher) is a name that has to be in Formula 1," Ecclestone said in a video interview on Sport1.

"But I feel a little sorry for him, because he has great qualities with which he could achieve more than with the people he is with now. I'm not sure he can learn that much there.

"He won't have anyone there who can teach him much. He is on his own. The perfect team for Mick would be a team like Red Bull, who have the skills to win races and the people who can support him properly. His performance in Formula 2 was great, but it won't be so easy to replicate with his current team."

The young Schumacher won the F2 championship last season but joins an F1 team in Haas that picked up just three points in the constructors' championship in 2020.

A similarly meagre showing is expected from Haas in 2021, despite technical partner Ferrari offering extra backing to Haas this year.

"He's got a big problem already," Ecclestone, 90, said. "He's got the burden of a big name he has to wear. People will say 'He's not as good as his father'.

"Now we will see that he has an even bigger handicap with the car he drives. But sometimes these things are good, too. Sometimes you have a tough time and then you develop."

Schumacher doesn't feel pressure

Despite what many would view as a massive burden of carrying the famous Schumacher name into his F1 debut, the young Schumacher says he doesn't feel under pressure.

"I have done it with championships on my back so we have proven I am able to drive a race car. So I don't feel a blink of pressure from it."

Mick goes into the season-opening Bahrain GP at the same age as his father was when he made his debut at the Belgian GP in 1991.

He's already requested that he be given the famous 'MSC' initials on timing screens that are synonymous with his F1 legend father.

"It's quite emotional for me to see 'MSC' on the timing screen again," he said during pre-season testing. "It's a special bond I have to it, and I hope it's nice for everybody to see it there."

Mick describes his dad as his "idol" and admits that his dream of becoming a famous driver just like him, came at a very young age.

"Obviously at the beginning you don't understand what it takes," he said.

"As I grew older and grew in the categories, I understood how much sacrifice it takes. It was when I was around 12, 13 years old when I understood I really wanted to do this on a professional level."

with agencies

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