Mick Schumacher Ignores Favoritism Accusation From F3 Rival Dan Ticktum

Mick Schumacher, the son of legendary Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher, chose to ignore the controversial comments made by his European F3 rival Dan Ticktum after the German took the lead in the Drivers’ championship with five consecutive race wins.

Schumacher won all three races during the Spa Franchorchamps race weekend and continued his form at the Red Bull Ring in Austria by winning two of the three races. His victories saw him race to the lead in the championship, which did not go down well with Ticktum, who was leading up to that point.

Ticktum, who drives for Team Motopark in F3, did not take losing his championship lead too well and resorted to questioning his opponent’s sudden form. He labeled the Prema Theodore Racing’s recent surge as “interesting” and admitted many in the paddock would see it his way.

The British racer, who is part of the Red Bull junior program, went on to insinuate the young German driver was being favored because of his surname — which obviously comes with a tremendous amount of pressure.

"Compared to the top two no one on this grid had a chance. Even their other teammates who are good drivers were nowhere compared to them," Ticktum wrote in an Instagram post he has since deleted, as per nine.com.au.

“Interesting is how I would describe their pace and I am confident many people in the F3 paddock will agree,” he added. "I am fighting a losing battle as my last name is not Schumacher."

Ticktum did delete his post, but his comments were picked up by many news outlets and then put to Schumacher, who chose to ignore the statements made by his title rival and continued to focus on the developments the team have made in recent races in order to be able to challenge for the title.

“I do not listen to something like that,” Schumacher said. “The car is terrific to drive. We've evolved as a team, while others may have stopped at one point. I wish him good luck that he stays in the title fight. But I focus on myself, that's my key.”

"Everyone evolves during the year. We never stop working and learning. After my win at Spa it was not easy, but we managed to be consistent, especially in qualifying, with good lap times,” he added.

The championship battle will be decided in the final round at Hockenheim in Germany in October. Schumacher currently holds a 49-point lead over the British driver, who has been linked with a drive in F1 next season with the Toro Rosso team.

Schumacher, meanwhile, also took the time to thank Ferrari F1 team principal Maurizio Arrivabene, who praised his achievements thus far in his career and made it clear the door at Ferrari, where his father created a lasting legacy by winning five of his seven F1 Drivers’ titles, will always be open.

"It's nice to see that my performance is recognised, and if it's by a team like Ferrari, that's very nice. But to just be mentioned generally in the world of Formula 1 is positive," Schumacher said.