The name Schumacher is a household name in the racing world, Ralf Schumacher won 6 grand prix in his time and stood in the podium 27 times. You may have heard of his brother, 7-time world champion Michael Schumacher.
As is the norm in sport when a successful athlete has a child they’re expected to carry on the family legacy, we’ve seen it in American football with the Manning’s and we’ve seen it more close to home with the Williams team.
Michael Schumacher’s son Mick is no exception, currently competing in Formula 2 he received high praise from Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto.
In an interview with Autosport, Binotto was quoted saying “We are very proud having made him part of the Ferrari Driver Academy. Not only because he is Michael Schumacher’s son, but because I think he’s a good driver, he actually performed well even in this (years Formula 2) season.
“If you look at the standings you can see some experienced drivers on top, but he had one good season to gain experience. And if you look in term of rookies, too, he was doing well.”
He was later asked on the possibility of Mick taking the second Ferrari seat in 2021, which Binotto was quick to point out 2021 was regulations change and would prefer experience but hinted at the idea of him still being in the for F1.
“2021 will be too early for one of our young talents, too. In 2021 some experience from drivers will be important because it’s a completely new type of car.
“So, I think that next season will be key for him to understand how much he’s progressing. We are expecting much from the next year because he will have one season of experience and we are pretty sure he’s a good candidate for F1 in the future.”
Naturally added fuel to the 2021 silly season talk and how Ferrari would handle have 2 of the hottest prospects in motorsport on their books and both in F2 in Mick Schumacher and Robert Shwartzman.
Would they pull a Red Bull when Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen entered the sport, or does Ferrari have a plan with Räikkönen to hold the seat until a junior is ready hence the constant uncertainty over if he’ll be retained for the next season?
However, with all this said it’s clear that everything is based on how Mick performs in F2.
Ferrari expects big thing this year from him in a stacked F2 grid, so now it’s all over to Mick, will he rise to the occasion and be another successful second-generation driver or will he crumble under the hype and pressure like other racing offspring in the past.
