F1 News
Would Mick Schumacher have made it to F1 without his last name? 'I doubt that'
- GPblog.com
Mick Schumacher was supposed to be in action last Friday during the first free practice session, but his debut literally fell into the water after the cancellation of the practice sessions due to the bad weather conditions. As a result, the son of the seven-time world champion will have to wait a little longer to make his first metres in the car, but his moment will come. He owes all of this to his good performance in Formula 2 and before, but his surname also helps of course.
The name opens doors
It is very likely that Mick Schumacher will drive in Formula 1 next year and that at Alfa Romeo, it is mainly a matter of time until that becomes final. As Louis Dekker says in the Formula 1 podcast of NPO Radio 1: "There was a time when the name was a ballast, a weight, that he had to fight against. There is also a phase, and we are in the middle of that now, that the surname becomes an advantage."
"He's not a Formula 2 champion yet, he's going to be. He hasn't signed with Alfa yet, but next year he will be in, but the question is: who will be his teammate?"
That surname now helps Mick Schumacher on his way to the king's class, but Frits van Amersfoort dares to say that if he had had a different surname, he might not have made it to Formula 1.
No natural talent
Van Amersfoort, who knows Schumacher reasonably well, says: "In those days he was a very shy boy who did not at all think he came from such a famous family. But yes, five years (ago), then he was about sixteen years old. Now he has grown up quite a bit and you can see that he has changed. That's how it goes nowadays, especially when your name is Schumacher.
"In my opinion it was not a natural talent. A Schumacher stands for German and German is hard work and perseverance, and he can do that very well. And then a Schumacher mechanism goes into action around him. There's a whole army around a boy like that who's going to support him all the way."
In a situation where Schumacher was just a hardworking driver without that last name, it was questionable whether he would reach Formula 1. Van Amersfoort: "I dare to doubt that, yes, I do."