Mick Schumacher follows in his father Michael’s footsteps as he prepares for first Formula One test drive with Ferrari and F2 debut in Bahrain – while his mother Corinna looks on
- Mick Schumacher will make his F2 debut on Saturday followed by a Ferrari Formula One test drive on Tuesday
- The 20-year-old will get into the cockpit of the iconic red motor his father Michael dominated in for years
- The youngster said ‘there are going to be emotions’ but that he was ‘really prepared, 100 percent ready’
- Mick was skiing with Michael in 2013, when his father was left disabled after a head injury in the French Alps
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Mick Schumacher will follow in the footsteps of his father Michael in Bahrain as he prepares for his first Formula One test drive with Ferrari after this weekend’s debut F2 contest.
The 20-year-old was watched by his mother Corinna and staff from the Ferrari Driving Academy as he made laps in his F2 Prema team car on Friday ahead of getting into the famed red Ferrari on Tuesday.
Fans around the world are brimming with excitement at the chance to see Michael Schumacher’s son racing in the Italian motor his father won five of his seven titles with.
But the youngster – who bears a striking resemblance to his 50-year-old father – said, despite the baking desert heat and the anticipation of fans, he was feeling confident.
Mick was with Michael skiing in the French Alps when his father had his tragic accident in 2013 and was left disabled after his head collided with a rock.
Mick Schumacher after practice runs for the Italian Prema team in Bahrain on Friday, wearing a Ferrari Driver Academy undershirt – Prema was founded in 1982 and runs many members of the Ferrari Drivers Academy youngsters in their roster
Steely-eyed: The youngster sits in the cockpit of the Prema F2 car on the Sakhir circuit close to captial of Manama on Friday. The German said there would be emotions ahead of his packed schedule of racing and test driving for Ferrari, but that he was confident of success
Corina Schumacher (centre), wife of formula one legend Michael and mother of Mick Schumacher, attends at the paddock during a practice session ahead of Saturday’s championship race
Mick – son of the seven-time world champion – drives his Prema car out of the pit lane on Friday, surrounded by TV crews and photographers eager to see how the protege will perform
‘For sure there are going to be emotions,’ Mick said, adding that he is ‘totally confident’ he can handle the pressure and said he feels ‘really prepared, 100 percent ready.’
Five of his famed father’s record seven F1 titles were won with Ferrari from 2000-04. His 50-year-old father also holds the record for F1 wins with 91.
After Michael’s accident in 2013, doctors worked to remove blood clots from his brain, but some were left because they were too deeply embedded.
Corina Schumacher sits in the paddock to watch her son while he takes practice laps ahead of qualifying on Friday – she is no stranger to the sounds and smells of the track, having watched her husband Michael race to glory many times before
Corina Schumacher stands in the Ferrari hospitality area of the Sakhir International Circuit on Friday afternoon as her son Mick familiarises himself with the track ahead of qualifying
Corinna Schumacher chats to a member of the Ferrari team while enjoying a cup of coffee and a pastry in the hospitality area of the paddock
Mick Schumacher whips round the track in his red Prema car, adorned with the stallion emblem of Ferrari – the Prema team has close links to the academy and uses many Ferrari proteges in its roster
Schumacher’s condition stabilized after he was placed in a drug-induced coma, from which he later emerged. But updates on his health have been scarce since he left the hospital in September 2014 to be cared for privately at his Swiss home by Lake Geneva.
Understandably, talking about his father is a deeply sensitive issue. Although he spoke calmly and in measured tones, the emotion was clear in his voice when addressing how much of an influence his father had on him as a young racer.
‘I wouldn’t be the person I am now if it wasn’t for him,’ Schumacher said, addressing reporters in the F2 paddock. ‘It’s a difficult question. Obviously it’s a part of me, I’m his son. He’s my dad and I’m happy. He’s the best ever in F1, (which is) something I look up to. I’m happy to have him as a dad.’
Mick Schumacher shakes hands with Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto as he sits in his Formula 2 Prema car car during a practice session ahead of the race at the Sakhir circuit in the desert south of the Bahraini capital Manama
Mick Schumacher’s halo – introduced to protect driver’s heads and necks from injury – is emblazoned proudly with his name and the German flag
Mick Schumacher looks out through his visor in between laps, he said: ‘For sure there are going to be emotions,’ but added that he is ‘totally confident’ he can handle the pressure and said he is ‘really prepared, 100 percent ready.’
Two years ago, the younger Schumacher drove demonstration laps in an F1 model of the Benetton B194 his father drove to the first of his seven championships in 1994.
Schumacher knew early on he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps.
‘Obviously we chatted about quite a few points in karting. It helped me a lot along the way,’ Schumacher said. ‘Driving Go-Karts, I said that’s really what I wanted to do. That’s the thing I want to do professionally, as a career and as a job.
Fans around the world will be tuning in to see the youngster following in his father’s footsteps as he competes on Saturday before a test drive with Ferrari next week
Mick Schumacher gets his tyres warmed up ahead of qualifying this afternoon in the Bahraini desert, if he performs well in the F2 this season it is possible he could make the step up to the premier championship of Formula One next season
Mick Schumacher turns through the apex of a corner at the track in Bahrain as ripples of heat can be seen radiating from the rear of the rapid car
‘So it started pretty soon that we took it quite seriously and worked that out. It went pretty quick to the international step in karting.’
If he does well this season, it is feasible he could be in F1 next year.
Charles Leclerc went straight into F1 after winning the F2 title in 2017 and, after only one season in F1 with Alfa Romeo Sauber, the 21-year-old driver from Monaco got the coveted Ferrari seat this year.
Father and sons in F1 are not uncommon, but successful ones are rare.
Nico Rosberg’s F1 title with Mercedes in 2016 made him only the second son of an F1 champion to become one himself.
He followed in the footsteps of Keke Rosberg, the 1982 F1 champion. The others were Graham Hill (’62 and ’68) and Damon Hill (’96).
Michael Schumacher celebrates with the trophy after winning the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in 2004 (left) and after an an earlier victory (right) – he has been disabled since his accident in 2013
The Villeneuves came close to doing it: Gilles finished runner-up in ’79 and his son Jacques won it in ’97.
When Schumacher won the F3 European Championship title last year, it fast-tracked him into F2 and prompted speculation he could be in F1 by 2020.
But seeing himself as an F1 driver with Ferrari still feels far away.
‘We’ll have to wait until it’s time for that,’ Schumacher said. ‘It was obviously very exciting getting the news (about the test). But for now my focus is really on F2.’
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