Daniel Ricciardo Believes Mick Schumacher Has Earned His Place In F1

McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo has been all showered lavish praise for F1 rookie Mick Schumacher who has made his debut with the beleaguered Haas team after winning the F2 title last year."I don't want anyone to think Mick Schumacher is in Formula 1 just because of his name. Everything I see from him shows me that he has earned his place here with us. He works so hard and I'm impressed with his journey. I met Mick Schumacher back in 2016 at a charity football match. I immediately had the feeling that I just wanted to be nice to him. He should feel my deep respect, his father is such a legend," said the Australian highlighting the fact that he has earned the right to be at the top echelon of the sport. 

Also Read: Mick Schumacher thinks his F1 debut has been average 

Mick Schumacher is of course the son of legendary Michael Schumacher, who till last year was statistically the most successful driver in the history of F1. Schumacher was the first one to win 7 world championships till Lewis Hamilton equalled his record and overtook him on race wins. 

Ricciardo struggled in his first year at Renault and the same is happening again at McLaren 
Photo Credit: AFP

Like his father, Mick Schumacher is associated with the Ferrari team. Michael Schumacher of course won 5 of his 7 titles at Ferrari that took 5 years in a row something that's never been replicated by any driver. Mick Schumacher has been backed by the Italian team and he's a graduate of the stellar Ferrari Driver Academy. He won the F2 title last year and this year has handily outperformed his teammate Nikita Mazepin in the Haas. 

He is expected to renew his contract with the team but many believe he will be a Ferrari driver in the next couple of years. Daniel Ricciardo also revealed that he had some preliminary conversations with Ferrari to join the team when he had decided to leave Renault, but Ferrari chose a different direction and hired Carlos Sainz Jr instead to replace Sebastian Vettel.