Villeneuve can imagine Mick Schumacher's situation: "That's hard for him"

Jacques Villeneuve stands up for Mick Schumacher who will be in a challenging position on his debut in F1 this year. His name is both his trump card and his problem. Villeneuve expects a big difference between Mick and his competitors.

Villeneuve expressed all his dissatisfaction with Ferrari's training program. This program arguably does too little for the drivers themselves. One driver who also didn't necessarily have much to gain from the Ferrari program is Mick Schumacher. His name and the money from his family helped him enough on his own.

Villeneuve knows exactly what it feels like to be the son of a legendary driver. On Sky Italia, the Canadian says: "Mick has been under pressure for years because of his famous name. That's the big difference with his competitors from the same generation."

Difficulties for Mick Schumacher

Villeneuve continues: "That surname helps and opens doors that remain closed to others, but it is also accompanied by high expectations and the necessary pressure. People want to see immediate results from you and you get a lot of questions about your father.

"It's hard to answer that, for example when you get the question who you want to thank after a good race. The press wants to hear that you thank your dad, but that's hard for Mick." And, of course, the move to F1 on it's own is going to be quite a challenge.

"He has done well over the years. But in Formula 1, you start from scratch and have to prove yourself again."