'Proved I can keep faster cars behind me in duel with Verstappen'

Mick Schumacher has almost finished his first season in Formula 1. In this season he has already experienced a lot: from big crashes to duels with his teammate Nikita Mazepin. The German talks about the duel with the Russian and the help of Sebastian Vettel in an interview with F1-insider.com.

Schumacher and Mazepin both haven't managed to score any points yet, but that's mainly because Haas is no longer developing this year's car in order to focus on the one for 2022. Despite that, Schumacher has managed to finish both 12th and 13th on one occasion and his teammate hasn't yet. The duel between him and the Russian was certainly there, but it was very much magnified in the media, according to the German.

"Internally it was actually a less hard-fought duel. But it was new and unusual for me that certain topics were discussed so openly in the media. But in the end, I didn't really dwell on it, I just went on with my thing." In addition, the 22-year-old driver has also been in duels with other drivers and proved that he deserves that Formula 1 seat. "Of course I especially enjoyed the duel with Max in Budapest. There I showed that I can stick my elbows out and keep faster cars behind me."

Vettel helps him with everything

The Haas driver also admitted in the interview that Vettel helped him a lot in his debut year. All the questions he had were answered by him. The fact that the German also knew his father very well is a great feeling. "He knows my father very well and that's why he became my first point of contact in Formula 1. He has so much experience and has been through all the situations. But also privately he is a particularly nice person and a very good friend."