Motorsport

MICHAEL Schumacher didn’t name his son Mick after himself as is commonly believed.Friend of the German F1 superstar, Eddie Jordan, 74, revealed the name was given as a tribute.
Michael Schumacher, seen here in 1994, won seven world championshipsCredit: Getty
Michael named his son Mick, pictured as a tribute to Mick DoohanCredit: AFP
Jordan said Michael had named his son after legendary sportsman Mick Doohan.
He said Mick was given his name “as a mark of respect” to the Aussie five-time MotoGP world champion.
“Mick Schumacher isn’t named after his dad like a lot of people seem to think,” he said.
“Mick Schumacher is named after a person who his father, Michael, was in total awe of, a sportsman who had won five world titles back to back with Honda.
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“And that is no other than Mick Doohan.
“As a mark of respect, Michael Schumacher called his son Mick.”
It was Eddie who gave the German his big break in F1 when the then 22-year-old racer made his debut with Jordan in the Belgian Grand Prix in 1991.
Michael would go on to smash all the records – claiming seven world championships and 91 races while driving for Ferrari and Benetton.
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But the 54-year-old racing legend has not been seen or heard from for nearly 10 years after his horror ski crash back in 2013.
He was left with a severe brain injury and in a medically induced coma.
Mystery surrounds his condition – with his family imposing a strict “family only” rule on who can visit him.
Last year, Jordan revealed Michael’s wife denied him a visit to see the Formula 1 legend after his horror skiing accident.
His wife Corinna keeps his condition a closely guarded secret with strict rules about who’s allowed to see him.
Corinna prefers to treat her husband privately at their home in Geneva, Switzerland with ex-Ferrari boss Jean Todt one of the few people allowed to see him outside his immediate family.
It comes as F1 fans were moved to tears over a video showing Michael and a young Max Verstappen.
The F1 star spent a lot of time growing up with the Schumacher family as his dad Jos Verstappen and seven-time champ Michael were close friends.
The two families’ connection features in episode 4 – Like Father, Like Son? of Netflix’s Drive to Survive.
Footage released as part of the show’s latest season feature Michael talking about young Mick and Max and discussing with Jos whether they would allow their children to become F1 drivers.
One clip in particular, where Schumacher bends down and pats Verstappen on the head, has moved Formula 1 fans.
Netflix’s documentary also brought to light a touching photo showing Michael cradling baby Max on his lap alongside his own daughter, Gina-Maria.
Drive to Survive also charts Mick’s difficult sophomore season in 2022 – including his horror 170mph accident in Saudi Arabia.
Mick’s rough year saw him outscored by his teammate, the returning Danish veteran Kevin Magnussen.
The show outlines Mick’s struggles – and the pressure that came with racing under the name “Schumacher”.
Speaking about his good friend, Max said: “It was different for Mick than it was for me. His father is the record world champion, with seven world championships.
“That’s a difficult starting position at first.”
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Mick – who was dropped by Haas in favour of veteran driver Nico Hulkenberg for 2023 – is now a reserve driver at Mercedes.
He will be backing up Sir Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, potentially stepping in for them if they have to miss a race.
Michael’s wife Corinna, seen here in 2004, has kept a tight control over who is allowed to see her husband since his skiing accidentCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Michael’s pal Eddie Jordan revealed who Mick was named afterCredit: Sutton Motor Sport Images More

THIS year’s Formula One season kicks off on Sunday in Bahrain, a venue that polarises opinion as the opening race for such a global sport.Historically, F1 has started the year in countries with a history of motor racing — such as Australia, Brazil, South Africa or Argentina.
F1 are not doing their part to tackle sportswashing in the GulfCredit: Rex
Those form a stark contrast to ­Bahrain, which is a group of islands in the Persian Gulf with a population of just over 1.6million.
Perhaps we should not be so surprised to see it as race one, for somewhat incredibly this will be the fifth time that the Sakhir Circuit has held the prestigious curtain-raiser.
Even less so given it is rumoured the race — which had a record attendance of just 35,000 last year — pays F1 around £37.6m a season for the rights to host a grand prix.
Oh, and last year it agreed a contract with F1 that remains in place until 2036, albeit not always as the opening race.
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The Bahrain GP follows pre-season testing that was also held at the same track — due to its warm and stable climate — and will be followed by a GP in Saudi Arabia.
And in the final part of the season, the calendar takes in Qatar and has Abu Dhabi as the finale.
It means this year there are four races in the Middle East,  just two races (Japan and Singapore) in the rest of Asia and none in Africa.
Formula One is not alone in this shift. Boxing, football, tennis and golf have all been lured to the Middle East as sports are decentralised from their European roots.
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Of course, the money is a considerable factor — and with that comes the accusation of sportswashing.
Bahrain, for instance, has been accused by activist group Human Rights Watch of having a “dismal” record on the issue.
In 2013, Amnesty International claimed children, some as young as 13, were “blindfolded, beaten and ­tortured” as a result of protesting against the government.
Seven years later, a cross-party group of 30 UK parliamentarians urged F1 to “leverage Bahrain into respecting human rights”.
Also in 2020, Britain’s seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton  said: “We realise we’ve got to face and not ignore the human rights issues in the countries that we go to, not just 20 years, 30 years from now, but now.”
SINGING IN THE RAIN
The first Bahrain race was held in 2004 and I am not too sure what has been done to address those issues in the years since.
The situation is difficult for F1, as the owners Liberty Media tiptoe through the political minefield while also trying to run their business.
I understand that in Bahrain’s case there are a number of programmes aimed at encouraging girls into karting, while there are strict rules in each of the circuit’s contracts regarding breaches of human and labour rights.
But while the full details of those contracts remain private, it is difficult to see what else is being done.
You could argue that by being there in the first place, F1 is inadvertently keeping the pressure on those governments to address their human rights’ records.
However, the counter argument is that as these races in the Middle East become more frequent — and without evidence of F1 producing such legacy programmes — as time goes on, there is a real danger we could all become sportswashed.
Marc Marquez says teammate Pol Espargaro snubbed him ahead of surgeryCredit: EPA
MAKING HIS MARC
MOTOGP star Marc Marquez says he was snubbed by Pol Espargaro before undergoing surgery.
While Aleix Espargaro and Fabio Quartararo both reached out to wish Marquez luck for a career-saving op, there was nothing from his team-mate, who has since left the Honda team.
He said: “My team-mate Pol didn’t come to see me and he’s right next to me in the box. I mean, you don’t expect everyone to come. I didn’t expect Aleix.
“I know exactly who’s going to support me and who isn’t. Or who wishes the best for me and who doesn’t.
“Luckily there aren’t many who wish me the worst — but I bet there’s someone.”
E-ASY DOES IT
FORMULA E bosses should be patting themselves on the back after a stonking South African E-Prix.
Not only did the all-electric series pull off a thrilling debut in Cape Town in front of 25,000 fans but their Gen 3 car is delivering some great racing, too.
While Formula One’s model in 2022 was plagued by bouncing, the Gen 3 has led to some great overtaking manoeuvres.
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Nissan’s Sacha Fenestraz set the fastest lap in FE history with an average speed of 96.304mph.
And the race was won after  TAG Heuer Porsche’s Antonio Felix da Costa produced an outrageous pass on the final lap. More