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Nicklas Nielsen: Mick Schumacher "is well educated" unlike Max Verstappen

15:03, 21 Nov 2018

byNicolás Quarles van Ufford

Former teammate and friend of Mick Schumacher Nicklas Nielsen has lashed out at Max Verstappen, saying that Schumacher "is well educated" unlike the Dutchman, while also adding that the German never spoke about his emotions after his father Michael's skiing accident.

Schumacher has never been someone who wanted the spotlight on him. Early in his racing career, he used his mother's maiden name Betsch so he wouldn't get recognized as Michael Schumacher's son. Now, however, the son of the seven-time world champion has been much talked about after winning the European Formula 3 title in an emphatic way.

In an interview with Danish news source BT, Nielsen revealed what Schumacher is really like as a person.

"I know him very well, also privately," the Dane explained.

"Mick is a very quiet and calm guy, normal like all of us. He is not a snob because of his name, he is a very polite and welcoming person, comfortable talking with everyone.

“He is nothing like Max Verstappen, who doesn’t care about anything or anyone and just wants to win. Mick is well educated, he is a good guy.”

Nielsen also explained that he was a very close friend of Schumacher, besides being teammates on track, when his father Michael had his tragic skiing accident that put him in a coma. Mick was 14 at the time.

“Michael was with Mick at the tracks many times, they were very close before the accident. They had a very professional approach to everything.”

However, when Mick returned to racing several months after taking some months off, the subject of his father's condition became was something that was never spoken about.

“It was a completely closed subject and he did not talk about it.

“I’m still running a mini-kart for Ralf Schumacher’s team [Michael's brother], and to this day no one talks about it. It’s hard to say what’s going on.

“Mick did not mention his emotions regarding his father, he just said sometimes that of course, it was hard to deal with.”

Nielsen himself is now active in several GT series. Mick Schumacher will likely drive in Formula 2 next season, with several teams having offered him a drive already.