F1 News: Mick Schumacher Receives Crucial Advice From Mika Hakkinen For Racing Return
Mika Hakkinen aka the Flying Finn, who was Michael Schumacher's popular rival, offered valuable advice to Mick Schumacher to make his way through into one of the teams on the grid in a rather competitive environment.
Mick, who is currently performing simulator duties with Mercedes, is actively looking out for a full-time Formula 1 driver role with one of the teams next season. He has received tremendous praise from Team Principal Toto Wolff and drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton for his contribution that has greatly helped the team.
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The junior Schumacher spent two seasons at Haas before being replaced by Nico Hulkenberg. Speaking about the current times, Hakkinen believes there is an immense amount of pressure on young drivers to impress immediately without the availability of a proving ground in testing.
When asked for advice on how Schumacher could make his way to full-time F1 racing by F1-insider, he said:
“Brake later, accelerate earlier…”
Adding to his advice, Hakkinen compares the process F1 drivers had to go through during his racing days vs. the difficult scene young drivers face in F1 today. He said:
“It’s generally very difficult for young drivers today. In my time, there used to be a lot more tests, so the drivers had time to develop.
"Today there are practically no more tests, at most you sit in the simulator. And you’re judged on that.
"When I came to McLaren, the team gave me time to develop. Today, you have to succeed straight away. If not, you’re out.”
Fortunately, despite the lack of opportunities in F1 currently, Mick Schumacher hasn't lost hope. In fact, he believes anything can happen for a situation to turn in your favour, so hope is something he would never leave. He told Sky Sports Germany:
“I am a driver and all I want is to win, but I also have to be realistic and keep going.
"You haven’t seen the real Mick yet.
"We have seen in the last two, three years that anything can change, even if contracts are in place, so giving up hope is wrong. Hope is the last thing to disappear.”
