Daniel Ricciardo Reveals His Ever-Growing Respect for Mick Schumacher

It has hardly been a year since Mick Schumacher set his foot into Formula 1. And the rookie has already earned his respect from the man who idolized his father – Sebastian Vettel. The four-time world champion has taken up the role of a mentor for his fellow countryman despite competing against him on the track.

Now, months after the bromance between the two Germans kicked off, another F1 driver confessed his huge respect for the F2 champion.

Daniel Ricciardo opened up that he met the multi-world champion’s son, Mick, at a charity football match where the German’s humble attitude earned his deepest respect.

What did Daniel Ricciardo say?

During an interview with Sport Bild, Ricciardo revealed that his respect for Mick never grew because his father was a racing legend. Instead, he felt that Mick absolutely deserved it solely for himself.

“I met Mick in 2016 at his charity soccer game. Somehow I immediately had the feeling that I just wanted to be nice to him,” he said, according to RTL.

“He should feel my deep respect, his father is such a legend. So it was a good one from the start Chemistry between us because he’s a really nice boy too.”

It has been an awfully quiet season for Mick, having to compete with a merely competitive car in hand. The only race where Mick earned applause was at the Hungarian GP, where he defended his heart out against the title contender, Max Verstappen.

Mick Schumacher is not F1 because of his name: Ricciardo

The Australian sounded quite convinced that Mick is F1 for his talent and not because he is the son of Michael Schumacher.

“Nobody should think that Mick is in Formula 1 just because of his name. Everything I see of him shows me that he has earned his place here with us. He works so hard and I am impressed with his way,” he said.

Ferrari are certainly eying Mick as their future driver, who could fill the void of either Charles Leclerc or Carlos Sainz.

Of course, the German racer is still evolving. And he soon will need a competitive car to show his true pace to the whole world. So, can Mick find himself a seat at a mid-field team and play the role of an underdog next season? Only time will tell.

Watch Story: Inside Michael Schumacher’s Car Collection