Once the F1 season gets underway in Bahrain, one of the drivers that will attract the maximum number of eyes will be Mick Schumacher. The young German has showcased his talent in the junior levels, having won the F2 championship last year.

But just how good is he? AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost has quite a high comparison to make.

Speaking about the attributes required to make a world-class driver, Tost said (translated via Google), “A driver must first have passion. He has to be disciplined and also be innovative.

“A pilot should always ask himself the following questions: What can I do better? How can I be better than the others? Michael Schumacher was like that, Sebastian Vettel too. Incidentally, I also see this approach with Mick Schumacher. “

Comparing Mick to two German drivers that have won a combined 11 world titles between them may seem a bold call. Indeed, fans won’t know what to expect of him in F1 until he gets a good, solid car to drive. And that’s not going to be happening anytime soon.

Mick will be suiting up for Haas this year. The American team don’t have high hopes for the season and it’s likely they’ll be racing at the back of the grid.

So, Schumacher’s first few years in F1 may be quite challenging, especially as his rookie record suggests. He’ll definitely learn a lot, and improve as a driver before he gets a chance to perhaps emulate his father and move to Ferrari.

However, Mick isn’t the only rookie on the grid tipped for a bright future.

AlphaTauri boss gives his verdict on Yuki Tsunoda and the team’s expectations for 2021

Tsunoda is a Japanese driver who caught the eye in the F2 championship last year. He ended the campaign in third place with 200 points, just 15 behind winner Schumacher.

At 20 years of age, he has been given the chance to partner Pierre Gasly at AlphaTauri this year. Speaking about Tsunoda, Tost said, “Yuki Tsunoda (is) an exciting young talent that we will hear a lot more about.”

Talking about the campaign ahead, Tost has set a target of achieving a top-five finish in the championship. However, it won’t be easy.

“Although we won a race in 2020 and were fast almost everywhere, we only finished seventh. That shows how tight it gets from third place,” said Tost.

What will the Italian team have in store for fans this year? Will they shock the world with another race win? We’ll find out soon.