Schumacher says rumours of F1 move ’a compliment’

Mick Schumacher is not getting carried away with reports that he is poised to kick off his Formula 1 race career in 2021.

Some days ago, Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto hailed the progress of Michael Schumacher’s son in Formula 2, suggesting he may be poised to enter F1 next year with a smaller team.

"I take it as a compliment," Schumacher, 21, told Suddeutsche Zeitung.

"It shows that I have improved in all the areas where I should improve."

The suggestion is that, as Ferrari’s most prominent academy development driver, moving into F1 with Alfa Romeo next year appears likely for the German.

At Spa, where Schumacher finished on the podium, Alfa Romeo boss Frederic Vasseur said a F1 test "before the end of the season" is on the cards.

So when asked if a race seat is indeed the next step, Schumacher answered: "I’m not in a position to make any such claims. That would be wrong.

"It’s still too early to give a concrete answer, especially when all the plans have been postponed a bit with corona. So I am waiting.

"I am just trying to do my job as a racing driver. I think I’ll know more over the next few weeks," Schumacher added.

Making his return to a race track after his horror F2 crash of 2019, Juan Manuel Correa suggested that two drivers might actually be higher than Schumacher in Ferrari’s F1 queue.

"I think there will be a seat for the guys from the Ferrari academy," he told Bild am Sonntag.

"I would guess that whoever is up there gets the seat, so right now it looks like Callum (Ilott) or Robert (Shwartzman).

"I think if you look at the drivers’ standings, Mick is missing a little. He’s behind his teammates so it’s going to be tough for him," said Correa.

"He might do another year in Formula 2 and not go up to F1 until 2022. But he’s definitely a good driver, he just maybe needs a little more time."