Nico Hulkenberg has tipped his fellow German Mick Schumacher to step up to Formula 1 in 2021.
The 20-year-old has been gradually improving during his first season in F2 with Prema and is expected to remain with the Italian outfit for next year.
However, with Ferrari still committed to seeing Schumacher Jr. follow his father Michael into F1, a seat most likely at Alfa Romeo may well beckon the following season.
“I’m sure that we’ll see him in Formula 1 in two years at the latest,” Hulkenberg told Germany’s N-TV.
“Of course, you have to see the conditions under which he will grow. The expectations are extremely high, this is not an easy situation.
“As far as I can judge from a distance, he does it very well. He just clinched his first [F2] victory.”
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Even if Schumacher doesn’t achieve championship success in F2 though, Hulkenberg still believes he’ll be capable of making the jump.
“Perhaps it has become a bit easier from the cars’ point of view,” he suggested.
“We’ve got a lot of downforce, the cars aren’t easy to drive either, but perhaps a bit self-explanatory and not quite as demanding as they were 10 years ago.”
Certainly, should Mick continue his development, there will be pressure from everyone to get him on the F1 grid given the excitement and expectation he has already generated.