KEY POINTS

  • Michael Schumacher's son, Mick, is also on his way to racing glory like his legendary father
  • Mick admitted he has used different names in competitions to avoid stress and pressure his last name may cause
  • Mick missed out on his second podium after a fire extinguisher exploded in his cockpit at Formula Two Styrian Grand Prix

Michael Schumacher’s son, Mick Schumacher, has admitted to using a different name in past competitions in order to avoid getting too much attention because of his famous father.

Mick may not be an all-time great like his dad, but he has also worked his way up to where he is now. In fact, during his first F1 test for Ferrari in April last year, Mick was the second-fasted in the group. But currently, the son of the legendary racer is driving for Prema Powerteam in Formula 2, the feeder series directly below F1, and is a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy.

Though Mick uses his family name now, he said that he used to compete under different names in order to avoid the pressure and distraction his last name could cause. In a piece he wrote for Under Armour, published on June 26, Mick revealed that he climbed the ranks from karting under the name “Mick Betsch,” his mother's maiden name.

"I realized fairly early on that I wanted to be a Formula 1 driver, a champion. I'd used different names to sort of race undercover, improve without too much of the notoriety of being 'my father's son’,” Mick wrote.

Changing names may have worked out pretty well for Mick. Instead, the 21-year-old said the pressure in his career came from the expectations he set for himself.

“But, honestly, I don't feel any pressure to carry on the family name or do exactly what my father did. Most of the stress comes from what I put on myself, thinking about what I did wrong and how I can improve," he added.

Mick Schumacher
Mick Schumacher is leading the FIA European F3 championship. In this picture, Schumacher, German racing driver and son of seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher, is pictured after the qualifying session at the Autodromo Nazionale circuit in Monza on Sept. 1, 2018, ahead of the Italian Formula One Grand Prix. ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP/Getty Images

After all, being a son of one of the greatest racers in the world still puts Mick a step ahead of everybody as he gets to receive some advice every now and then.

"He always, first and foremost, is my dad. I do not take the lessons he's given me for granted. One of those lessons is to stay steady, never get too high, or too low,” Mick revealed.

Meanwhile, Mick just missed out on the second podium of his promising career after a horrible incident happened on Sunday at the Formula Two Styrian Grand Prix. A fire extinguisher suddenly exploded in his cockpit. The son of the Formula One legend was in third place for Prema Theodore Racing, with almost half of the race gone while he was covered in foam.

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