Mick Schumacher needs more time than Max Verstappen

Mick Schumacher needs more time than Max Verstappen did to develop into an F1-ready driver. That is the view of Jos Verstappen, the father of F1 teen sensation Max who made his grand prix debut at 17 and won his first grand prix just over a year later.

Mick Schumacher, the son of F1 legend Michael, is now the same age that Max was when he debuted for Toro Rosso last year, but Jos thinks the young German was right to have been left in Formula 4 for a second season this year. "I think Mick is someone who needs more time to reach the top level," Jos told the German magazine Gala.

"The pressure is extreme, because Mick is always compared with Michael," Verstappen, who was Michael Schumacher's teammate at Benetton in 1994, added. "Mick of course misses his father, not only in the family but in racing, where Michael's experience would help him greatly," Jos said. (GMM)