Mick Schumacher is enjoying "puppy protection" by the Formula 1 media, according to former F1 driver Nick Heidfeld.
Heidfeld, a fellow German, thinks the son of his former contemporary Michael Schumacher is "doing his job well so far" since debuting in 2021.
"We can never forget what kind of scrutiny he is under," he told Sport1.
"What I don’t like is this great puppy protection he enjoys in the media. It is clear that everyone hopes the next Schumacher has come and he will also be successful.
"But then he did his first overtaking manoeuvre in Formula 1 and it was cheered as though it was the greatest thing in the world," Heidfeld, 44, told the German portal.
"From the outside, I think it’s a bit exaggerated, but Mick can’t do anything about that.
"I do think it’s better to report positively than to pick on him. But there is of course the risk that this will all change at some point."