Haas team principal Guenther Steiner says Mick Schumacher isn't in F1 thanks to his name or to make up the numbers, insisting the young German is absolutely determined to become world champion one day.
As the son of four-time world champion Michael Schumacher, Mick's entry into motorsport was certainly predestined and facilitated.
But the titles won by Schumacher in the F3 and F2 FIA championships undeniably warranted his promotion to the big time this year with Haas. And so far, Steiner is impressed with his driver's remarkable focus and determination.
"He is very hard-working and focussed," Steiner told Auto Motor und Sport. "It’s nice to see that he really wants it.
"Mick is not just doing it because his father was a seven-time world champion. He wants to become World Champion himself and he works hard for it.
"He’s not just using his name just to be here, he wants his father to be proud of him.
"He is a very well-mannered young man and he loves his job. He really enjoys it, which is important when you have to give so much to this sport."
Schumacher's clean cut and courteous attitude contrasts with the often brash and impetuous personality of his fellow rookie teammate Nikita Mazepin.
But Steiner says he's glad to handle both styles, insisting one is not favoured over the other.
"They are different types, and that’s okay, he said. "We don’t need puppets here, but real characters. I can deal with that well.
"They are different, but there is no right or wrong. I don’t like one more than the other.
"[Schumacher] can also be demanding when he has to be, but he is always correct and polite. He knows what he wants.
"Nikita is of course a little different in his way. Both come from different cultures and grew up differently, but that doesn’t mean that Nikita is incorrect.
"We just have to be able to deal with the different characters."
Schumacher and Mazepin are serving their apprenticeship with Haas, and Steiner reckons it will take time, and perhaps until next year, to accurately assess each driver and their prospects in the sport.
"We’ll have to see, only two races have passed," Steiner said. "We can’t say yet how good they really are. But by next year they should have gained enough experience to be able to drive further up the field.
"Of course, it would always be better to have a World Champion in the team, but I don’t see a big problem there."
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