Mick Schumacher says his unexpected ten-lap fight with Max Verstappen in the early stages of the Hungarian Grand Prix gave him a good opportunity to boost his experience of racing wheel-to-wheel and under pressure.
The unique circumstances surrounding the start of the race at the Hungaroring - with two incidents taking place at the first corner - blew the field wide open.
On the restart after the red flag period, Schumacher, whose car had emerged unscathed from the earlier period, settled into tenth place, but with the intrepid Verstappen chasing from behind and immediately breathing down his neck.
Verstappen struggled at the wheel of a car heavily damaged on the first start, but the Red Bull driver who wasn't about to give up still piled on the pressure on Schumacher who held his own for ten laps.
"I wasn’t anticipating being able to hold him off for so long, but I’m glad that I was able to and able to get the opportunity to fight with the top guys," Schumacher said.
"I was fighting with Max twice on the road and was able to [increase] my experiences in that case, feel the pressure and not crack under pressure. So I think it was a really positive day for us."
Testing those wheel-to-wheel skills 🙌
A great tussle between two of F1’s rising stars yesterday 🌟 #HaasF1 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/L1yFPoj9I7
— Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) August 2, 2021
In addition to Verstappen, the Haas rookie also sparred in the race with AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly and even with Lewis Hamilton.
Schumacher was delighted to indulge in some good competitive action that perhaps helped him boost his confidence after a crash in FP3 that had sidelined him for qualifying.
"Of course, I think it gave everybody a bit of light at the end of the tunnel after a disappointing day [on Saturday], I think it was a very, very positive day.
"Lots learned, lots to take away from here, and lots for everybody to look forward to in the summer break and coming back to Spa."
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