Schumacher: 'Pseudonym gave me the opportunity to grow on my own’

Mick Schumacher is close to becoming a Formula 2 champion and then nothing seems to stand in the way of a Formula 1 debut. Although other Ferrari talents also have a chance, Schumacher is expected to get a spot at Haas next year.

With his father's racing blood, it should come as no surprise that young Schumacher aspired to a career in motor racing. At first, however, he did not do so as a Schumacher, but under a pseudonym like Betsch - his mother's maiden name. “We tried to have as much freedom for myself as possible. It gave me the opportunity to grow on my own and to understand how to be a normal kid and a normal racing kid," he says in an interview with Formula1.com.

When Schumacher makes the switch to formula cars, he drove under the name Schumacher. "I wanted to race under my full name anyway and I am proud to have it on my car, I am proud to have it on my suits.” Racing under the name Schumacher also generated a lot of media attention. “The media have always been around me a bit more than others, but we’ve always been quite respected in that area, in terms of, if I ask for the privacy I need, then they give it to me and I’m very grateful for that.”

In his second year in Formula 2, Schumacher is well ahead in the championship with eight victories. “If I’m not racing, I am thinking about racing,” he says. His ultimate goal shouldn't come as a surprise. "My dream is Formula 1," he adds. “My dream is motorsport, and therefore, I am always thinking about it and always dreaming about it.”