Surname a 'problem' for Schumacher

Bernie Ecclestone

(GMM) Bernie Ecclestone has described Mick Schumacher's famous surname as a "problem" as he progresses towards the F1 grid.

In Baku for his second Formula 2 race, the son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher spun.

"Of course I'm following him," former F1 supremo Ecclestone told Blick newspaper in Baku.

"The biggest problem for him is his name. If Mick doesn't deliver good results, the media will not treat him gently at the end of the year," he added.

Schumacher got his first taste of 2019-spec F1 cars recently with tests in the Ferrari and Alfa Romeo cars.

"He came to us last winter and quickly settled in," Laurent Mekies, the Ferrari sporting director, told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"He was the best in Formula 3 and that's why we wanted him.

"In recent years, the best in Formula 2 went into F1, but we're in no hurry. We are satisfied with his progress," Mekies added.

"His first test with us in Bahrain went very well."