Discussing the 19-year-old driver’s development, Schumacher added: “Well, let’s put it this way: he came into Formula 1 with a lot of advance praise. But he was also someone who needed a bit of time.
“Then Mercedes also had a wrong development direction, which made things harder for him. Especially at the rear axle last year, if we remember correctly. But then things got going. He picked up momentum, on new tracks, he was immediately on the pace and implemented exactly what was needed.
“And now he’s taking the next step. Now he wants to move forward, now he wants to lead the team. And you can feel that. He’s no longer giving George any room to breathe, let’s say. He’s constantly putting him under pressure. And George is also someone who, I believe, is super fast but perhaps doesn’t deal with pressure quite as well. We saw that again today.”
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