Mick Schumacher 'not ready for F1' yet

Apr.13 - Mick Schumacher has admitted he is "not ready" to start thinking about the big step into formula one.

The son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher turned 18 in March -- the age of 2017 rookie Lance Stroll, and older than Max Verstappen was when he made his F1 debut.

"They took the step to go early into formula one but I'm not ready for it yet," Schumacher told the German business newspaper Handelsblatt.

Indeed, Schumacher is just stepping out of Formula 4, where he failed to win a title.

"It hasn't worked out yet," he said. "Probably I am not consistent enough. But my goal in the next few years is to win, of course."

That winning will have to happen in the top European F3 category, from which the likes of Verstappen and Stroll launched their F1 careers.

Schumacher said: "It is my first year so for me it is about learning and trying to be at the front in the rookie ranking."

So when it comes to F1, Schumacher said: "(For) now I'm doing my thing. I still have to prove myself as a driver and improve a bit further."

European F3 is one prominent place where young drivers can amass the F1 'super license' points they need, but Schumacher insisted: "There is no plan."

However, he finds the early interest in his career - including from his father's old F1 employers Mercedes and Ferrari - flattering.

"Yes, because it means that I'm doing something right already. I always try to give my best, I want to compete with the best and they are all in formula one," said Mick.

And in the meantime, he will continue to adjust to the huge media attention on his rise to F1.

"This is part of the sport," said Schumacher. "It's better if I get used to it now rather than later, when that interest will be perhaps twice as high."

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