Mick Schumacher could rival George Russell for Lewis Hamiton crown says Toto Wolff

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Mick Schumacher enters the 2021 Formula One season as one of the most interesting storylines. Son of the great Michael Schumacher, who won seven world titles and is considered one of the greatest drivers of all time, Mick will race with Haas in his rookie F1 season.

However, given his natural pedigree and potential, there are great hopes that he could one day emulate his father and race for a team at the front of the grid.

The Schumacher name is synonymous with Ferrari, and Mick has even tested in the Ferrari already, but Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff believes that the 21-year-old could race for Mercedes, though he does not want to make headlines just yet.

Wolff was asked by RTL whether Schumacher could one day drive the Mercedes. Initially, he said “why not?”, though he quickly tempered such comments.

“That’s exactly the pressure I don’t want to put on Mick”, he explained. “If I deliver the headline now ‘One day Mick will be in the Mercedes’, it doesn’t make sense at this point.

“Mick definitely has the potential to sit in a top car and why not in a Mercedes, but he has to go his way. You have to give him time.

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“Only when a driver has the experience, doesn’t make big mistakes anymore, convert the speed, then he can bring in big successes in a top car.

Wolff added that Haas is the ideal place for Schumacher to learn, make mistakes, develop, and find his feet in F1.

“I see Mick as a confident young driver, who knows what he can do and who knows that he needs his time,” Wolff said.

“Now it’s about taking the pressure off his shoulders, letting him drive. He is with Haas in a team where he can learn.

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“Mick has the talent and intelligence to make his way in a top team and compete for race wins and maybe championships in the future. The most important thing is to take the pressure off Mick’s shoulders.

“Of course, he has the great name of the best F1 driver of all time with a strong personality. But Mick is doing very well.”

Should Mick develop in a manner that suggests he is ready to race at the front of the grid, it was always assumed that he would end up at Ferrari. The marketing potential of such a move makes too much sense, and it would be surprising if Ferrari could resist putting another Schumacher in their car.

Moreover, Mercedes have their own young prospect in George Russell and their own seven-time world champion in Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton is the only driver to match Schumacher’s achievements in F1, while Russell excelled in the Mercedes at the Sakhir Grand Prix last year, illustrating his driving ability when given the car to compete.

Hamilton is 36 and currently without a contract for the 2021 season. While it is expected that he will return with Mercedes, he is hardly a long-term solution.

It has always been thought that Russell would one day rival and even succeed Hamilton at Mercedes. However, perhaps Wolff has other drivers on his mind, specifically Schumacher.

For now, as Wolff highlights, headlines are unnecessary. But it seems that Schumacher’s rise to prominence might not automatically end up at Ferrari, which could lead to direct competition with Russell and even Hamilton.

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