Former Ferrari boss isn't buying the Schumacher hype

Former Scuderia Ferrari boss Cesare Fiorio played down the hype surrounding Mick Schumacher after the Ferrari junior's impressive F1 baptism of fire in Bahrain.

Fiorio - who was the Scuderia's acting sporting director from 1989 to 1991 - says too much has been made of the young German who still has a lot to prove.

"In Formula 2 he's driving for Prema, a very competitive team," said the 79-year-old Fiorio, speaking to Italian website Tuttomotoriweb.

"Yet he was eighth and sixth in Bahrain, after starting from pole on the reverse grid."

• Schumacher: 'Fun' experience made working with teams easy

Fiorio was also unconvinced by Schumacher's merits in this week's in-season test at Sakhir, where the young German finished runner-up to Red Bull's Max Verstappen on the first day of testing.

"It's true he finished second in testing, but no one was really pushing," argues Fiorio.

"Verstappen was faster than Schumacher with tyres that were two steps harder than his.

"I think he's just being hyped and there is a lot of attention on him, nothing more."

Some people will need a bit more time before they see the light…

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter