To be included in the same bracket as Michael Schumacher is a huge accolade and shouldn’t be taken lightly.
The German was the first driver to reach seven world championships before Lewis Hamilton matched that feat in 2020.
Speaking to the World Wide of Sports, David Brabham has suggested there’s another driver on the grid who can now be compared to the Ferrari legend.
Brabham puts one F1 driver in the same bracket as Michael Schumacher
For a generation of Formula 1 fans, Sunday afternoons were spent watching a bright red Ferrari dive into the first corner of a race in the lead, watching midfield action for two hours before repeatedly hearing the German national anthem.
That level of dominance has been replicated by Lewis Hamilton and more recently Max Verstappen, but doesn’t take anything away from how incredible Michael Schumacher was in the 2000s.
His debut season in 1991 after being parachuted in by Jordan highlighted how quick he was and Benetton picked him up after a single race.
He was a world champion by 1994 and then led the revival of Ferrari from 1996 – with a disqualification along the way.
Brabham now believes that McLaren star Oscar Piastri could be put in the same bracket as Michael Schumacher due to his temperament and the way he approaches racing.
The 22-year-old – who has scored 113 points in his short but sweet F1 career so far – has impressed many in the paddock so far and even earned a Sprint Race win in Qatar last year.
He’s already been signed up to a long-term contract by Zak Brown and Andrea Stella.
However, the interested glances from Red Bull share plenty of similarities with how Ferrari convinced Schumacher to move back in 1996.
Oscar Piastri compared to Michael Schumacher after debut F1 season
Speaking about his fellow countryman, David Brabham said: “With Prost, everything was calculated to win world championships.
“He calculated it all the way through, where [Ayrton] Senna was emotional [but] had the outright speed and was sort of godlike.
“Prost was very different in his approach, but put the two together in the same car, you didn’t know who was going to win.
“I’d put Oscar in the [Alain] Prost and [Michael] Schumacher bracket – he’s 100% dedicated to the racing and doesn’t really care about all the other stuff.”
Piastri’s Formula 1 career already going from strength to strength
Oscar Piastri is too humble to include himself in the same bracket as Michael Schumacher, especially at this early stage of his career.
He’s only driving in his 25 race in Melbourne in front of his home fans but has been tipped to challenge for a podium this weekend.
Piastri isn’t currently in a car that can realistically win many races this season unless the Red Bulls both run into trouble and Ferrari have an off day.
Lando Norris has seen off Carlos Sainz and Daniel Ricciardo as teammates but might have a more difficult time dominating his newest rival.
Piastri sits above his teammate in the Drivers’ Championship at this early stage following a very strong performance in Saudi Arabia.
If he can maintain those levels throughout 2024, then Piastri will very much be in people’s thinking sooner rather than later as a future world champion.
The post ‘100% dedicated’: 113-point driver told he’s now in the same ‘bracket’ as Michael Schumacher – F1 pundit appeared first on F1 Oversteer.