Mick Schumacher says his surname functions as a boost for him, rather than being a source of pressure ahead of his Formula 1 debut.
The German has signed with Haas for the 2021 F1 campaign and joins the grid as the reigning Formula 2 Champion.
Schumacher, the son of seven-time F1 World Champion Michael, has attracted a great deal of attention during his racing career due to his father’s achievements.
The 21-year-old insists that bearing the famous name is only a positive, affirming that he is “proud” to continue its association with F1.
“I have never said that it was pressure, I don’t think I’ll ever say it,” Schumacher said. “I’m very happy to carry that surname and very happy to carry that name back into F1.
“I’m very proud of it, I’m happy to have it. It’s like a boost for me and it gives me motivation every single day to work as much as I can and as hard I can.”
Schumacher spent the latter stages of 2020 working with Haas, making his FP1 debut at Abu Dhabi before driving the VF-20 at the post-season test.
With the 2021 season getting underway later this month, Schumacher says he has already struck up a strong bond with Haas, which he believes will help him perform at a high level this year.
“Definitely there are a few different factors [to dealing with pressure], obviously for me the biggest one which I’ve done already is you want to have a very strong bond to the team,” Schumacher said.
“That’s what I aim for and I have, which I’m very happy about that. That’s one of the strengths, and being as mentally strong as we can be in every situation is really important.
“Then basically just starting off the season on a high and hopefully we’ll be able to carry through everything I’ve learned in my past years and perform in a high level of what we need.”
