The expectation and more so, the pressure is high for Mick Schumacher to take after his illustrious father. The younger Schumacher has indeed taken the first step by the 2021 Formula 2 championship, likely setting the stage for the 21-year-old to shine on his own.
Schumacher secured the F2 win with 14 points separating him from the No. 2 driver in the standings. Amid the challenges he encountered in the season, it was hard to deny that Schumacher was instrumental in PREMA winning the F2 title in Bahrain.
And for the impressive fete, the German's reward is to enter the same circuit that has immortalized the Schumacher name. Mick will be racing in Formula One next season and join the American team Haas, and it came as no surprise that he felt overwhelmed.
"We are champion today and people will forget this race and remember the good times this year," BBC reported the young driver as saying.
He added that a better race such as winning it would have added to the significance of the F2 win but according to Schumacher, a championship is a championship. And he is on to the bigger league in 2021.
To be sure, the younger Schumacher will be getting more attention than before and inevitably the comparison to his father will further intensify. The Michael Schumacher that the racing world knows is a tough act to follow and as his son is starting on the same road that led to record wins and honors, it seemed hard to deflect the big question.
Will Mick at least turn out as the equal of his old man, who is a seven-time world champion?
Now it's a good thing that in terms of becoming a racing winner multiple times, the onus is no longer on Schumacher to prove. Lewis Hamilton did show to the world that Michael's achievements can be replicated and possibly overtaken.
So thanks to Hamilton, what is left for Mick to do is to be his own man. According to PREMA team principal Rene Rosin, Schumacher is a talented driver, adding that the legend's son has the right attitude that will make him win more races.
"He's a very technical guy, he wants to understand everything 100% before putting it in place ... He's grown up as a driver and grown up as a man. He's part of our team and an amazing driver to work with," Rosin told CNN.
Bearing the Schumacher brand plays to Mick's advantage and F1 journalist Lawrence Barretto said the racing circuit will surely welcome the arrival of another with the same name. But in reality, becoming the equal of his father is not automatic for Mick.
Barretto added that while the son has shown the chops for him to win races and titles in the future, they were not enough to convince that he is taking after his legendary father soon.
