Damon Hill has labelled Mick Schumacher a ‘feisty’ driver after being impressed by his performance at the Hungarian Grand Prix a few weeks ago.
The 2021 F1 season is currently in the midst of its summer break with the Belgian Grand Prix returning at the end of this month.
While Haas have struggled at the rear of the field, Schumacher - the son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher - has impressed at times in his rookie season and caught the eye of the British racing legend, reports The Mirror.
The 1996 world champion was impressed by Schumacher’s mature race-craft, particularly when the 22-year-old went wheel-to-wheel with the likes of Max Verstappen last time out at the Hungaroring.
“Bit of a feisty driver is Mick, banging wheels with Max,” Hill said of Schumacher on the latest F1 Nation podcast. “Max gave him a but of a biff coming out of Turn 3, moved over on him, and [Verstappen] already lost his bargeboard on the right-hand side.
“Then he kind of gave Mick a bit of a nudge going into Turn 4, but Mick was putting up a very strong defence.
“With George Russell, I thought his move around the outside of Mick was incredibly brave. He gave no quarter at all. He [Mick] might be in a slower car but he’s determined to fight, so we’ll be keen to see how he develops.”
The dramatic Hungarian Grand Prix gave Schumacher the opportunity to burst into the spotlight after consistently competing at the back of the grid due to his poorer car.
He showed enough grit and determination to impress a former F1 world champion - no mean feat in a Haas - and it will be interesting to see how competitive the American manufacturer will be in 2022.
Schumacher is yet to earn his first career points in F1 but the German did register his highest-ever finish in the sport in Hungary where he came 12th.
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