McLaren F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo has said he gets goosebumps when he recalls having shared a race track with Michael Schumacher in the infancy of his Formula 1 career.
The Aussie made his debut in the pinnacle of motorsport in 2011 with the now-defunct HRT team, and he raced in the sport with Schumacher until the end of 2012, when the German decided to retire from F1 once and for all.
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Ricciardo said he finds it “amazing” to have shared a race track with “the god of the sport.”
“To know I was once in the same field of drivers as Michael Schumacher in Formula 1 is amazing for me,” said Ricciardo during an interview with Sport Bild.
“I remember one of my first races at Suzuka, I had a short duel with him. It was like a game of cat and mouse on the track. That was really unreal. I enjoyed every second.
“Michael had already won seven world titles. He is the god of this sport.
“After the race, my father took me aside for a moment, talking about the duel. He said ‘do you have any idea what just happened?’ I had to let that sink in first.
“When I’m older, I’ll think back to moments like that. My god, now that I tell it I just get goosebumps again.”
Continuing, Ricciardo spoke about the first time he met Mick, Michael Schumacher’s son, and he said the F1 rookie absolutely deserves his seat on the grid.
“I met Mick in 2016 at his charity soccer game. Somehow I immediately had the feeling I just wanted to be nice to him,” Ricciardo added.
“He should feel my deep respect, his father is such a legend. So there was a good chemistry between us right from the start because he’s a really nice boy too.
“Nobody should think Mick is in Formula 1 just because of his name. Everything I see of him shows me he deserves his place here with us. He works so hard and I’m impressed with the way he has done.”