31/01/2019
NEWS STORY
While his surname will open doors that may well have been closed to others, it cannot be easy being the son of the man widely seen as Formula One's most successful driver.
While two drivers have gone on to emulate their fathers in winning the Formula One World Championship, others have failed in as sport which, unlike most others, has witnessed numerous 'dynasties'.
In the wake of his recruitment to Ferrari's driver academy, the Italian team having enjoyed a golden era with his father, Mick opens up on what it is like being the son of a seven-time champion.
"Racing and karting is quite a normal thing in my family and I always loved to go karting with my father," he tells the FIA's Auto magazine. "It was big fun sharing that with him, and I remember him asking one day if this would be a hobby for me or if I wanted to do it professionally. I told him straight away I wanted to do it professionally. I never wanted to do anything else.
"I am happy to be the son of the greatest F1 racer of all time," he admits. "I'm happy that he is the greatest F1 racer of all time, and I admire him for that. And even if sometimes it can be a bit difficult, it is what it is. There are good sides to it and there are bad sides. Having the support I have from a lot of people all over the world can't be a bad thing. I am thankful for that."
Despite the obvious pressure on him, the 19-year-old insists that he is fully focussed on his debut season in F2, and isn't giving any thought beyond that, and that includes F1.
"Everybody has to find out for himself what's best for him," he says. "We always said that we wanted to take time for me to develop as a racing driver in the best possible way and we were good in doing it the way we did.
"I am very eager to learn more, improve my skills both in driving the car but also in working with the team and I am really looking forward to that new adventure."