Sainz "feels" for Schumacher over scrutiny
McLaren Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz says he feels for Ferrari junior Mick Schumacher over the scrutiny he is receiving in Formula 2, having had a similar experience himself.
Schumacher, the son of seven-time world champion Michael, took part in an F1 test for the first time at the end of March and has been the subject of intense interest since.
The 20-year-old is racing in F2, which supports F1 at 12 events this year.
Sainz, the son of two-time World Rally champion Carlos, said he struggled in the spotlight of being the son of a famous driver.
Asked about Schumacher, and whether he wished his own surname had not carried a level of expectation, Sainz said: "Quite a lot and especially when I was a kid and I was go-karting.
"I just felt a lot of people were looking at me and my results and where I was going, and a lot of kids and racing drivers were focused on me because I was the son of [a two-time World Rally champion].
"I think he's getting a lot of media attention because of the test so I feel for him, but sometimes media attention is not bad. I think he is in a good place."
Schumacher has previously said comparisons with his father have "never been a problem", and Sainz said the attention he got was something "I ended up embracing" and has helped him become "a better driver today".
"Sometimes kids are a bit mean, and you have that guy who's like, 'I want to beat the son of Carlos Sainz more than anyone else because maybe his father is watching'," added Sainz.
"When I was a kid that was something I really didn't like. My dad told me that I either bite or get bitten, and when he told me that I realised I needed to start biting a bit more or I'm going to get bitten more often.
"Suddenly, I started earning more respect because I was being a bit more aggressive. I didn't realise I was being a bit too nice maybe, being a bit too friendly for everyone and wanting everyone's approval and then I started being a bit more aggressive."
Schumacher made his F2 debut at the Bahrain round, where he took eighth in the opening feature race of the season and in turn secured the reversed-grid pole for the sprint race. He fell back to sixth in that race.
Share Or Save This Story
Aitken, Samaia make up Campos' F2 line-up
DiBenedetto intends to “turn heads” with Wood Brothers
Tanak "learned a very good lesson" from Monte crash
What the drivers are expecting from F1's return to Sepang
How Carlos Sainz bounced back from the most difficult moment of his F1 career
Sainz interview: “I always believed in McLaren… but then Ferrari called”
Can Red Bull now fight for wins everywhere? "It's difficult to be on par with Mercedes consistently"
Alex Marquez makes “unacceptable” gear-shifting mistake twice in wretched Japanese GP
Andrea Stella: F1 must avoid Sepang repeat, but "accept occasional glitches"
Bubba Wallace "paid the price on our front tires" in battle for Vegas win
How F1 let a golden opportunity slip at Sepang
How the Bahrain GP in Malaysia exposed Red Bull’s hidden resurgence
You Ask The Questions: Emerson Fittipaldi
The wide world of strategy options expected in F1's Bahrain GP in Malaysia
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments