Last winter, when Mick Schumacher was announced as a Formula 2 driver for the 2019 season, many fans went crazy at the idea of having a second "M. Schumacher" in the Circus. In particular people started dreaming about seeing him in a Ferrari car without realizing how much they were rushing it. It's obvious that talent is not transfered via genetics and that such a family name doesn't imply the same skill as the father. But way too many fans seemed not to have considered that, depicting the young German as a future F1 World Champion even before his Formula 2 debut.

That's not just stupid, but it's even likely to backfire on the driver they support. Mick was born in 1999 and for sure such an important surname has been weighing on his shoulders since the very first time he grabbed the steering wheel of a kart. But now it's no longer limited to the karting environment. Now it has spread throughout the whole motorsport world. And for a twenty year old kid it's a pressure hard to stand. How can you focus on your limit when everyone else is setting it for you? Even Max Verstappen last year felt victim of this pressure, forced to go beyond his limits to fulfill public opinion's expectations. This situation led the Dutchman into a negative loop of mistakes that required a massive effort for him to overcome.

Mick Schumacher will drive the Ferrari F2004 at the #GermanGP ❤️

The same car his father won his seventh and final world title 👉 https://t.co/CSdT2a3Qgo#F2 @ScuderiaFerrari pic.twitter.com/cEfLeMvIaK

— Formula 2 (@FIA_F2) July 1, 2019

In the first five weekends of the 2019 Formula 2 season, Mick Schumacher scored only 14 points. He was victim of bad luck for sure, but many mistakes were made by the Prema driver himself, with an often over-agressive driving style induced by medias' expectations. Finally in Austria, a well-known track for him, sparks of his talent have had the chance to shine. During the Feature Race a stall on the formation lap ruined his final result, but nevertheless the pace shown was amazing. Schumacher therefore had to take advantage of it during the Sprint Race. And -my God- he did it.

Starting eighteenth on the grid Mick left the fans speachless with a masterclass drive to secure fourth place at the checkered flag, just few tenths away from a podium position. Ruthless while overtaking, brilliant in the tyre management. That has just been an awesome performance.

https://www.motorlat.com/notas/f1/11867/5-talking-points-from-the-austrian-grand-prix

Last year he started badly the European Formula 3 season, only to turn things around halfway into the championship and secure the title at the end. Does it therefore mean that Schumcher performances will take off from now on? Are things bound to change for him? We just cannot know and we shouldn't even care. Let Schumi alone, talent seems to be there but more pressure may just kill it. And no one would like such a scenario.