On the weekend that he is due to partner Sebasitian Vettel for Team Germay in the Internation Race of Champions, Ferrari have announced that Mick Schumacher, son of 7 time World Champion Michael, has joined their young driver program, the Ferrari Driver Academy. Mick has been working his way through the lower formulae for the last few years and is set to make his Formula 2 debut with Prema Powerteam this season after taking the title in the final European F3 championship before the series merged with GP3 ahead of the 2019 championship.
Schumacher will not be the only familiar name on Ferrari’s junior list as it also features Formula 2 driver Giuliano Alesi (Jean’s son) and Enzo Fittipaldi (Grandson of Emerson and brother of WEC & IndyCar driver Pietro). Joining these 3 drivers will also be British driver Callum Ilott, who will also race in F2 this season, Marcus Armstrong and Robert Shwartzman who will be competing alongside Fittipaldi in the new FIA Formula 3 championship and and Gianluca Petecof in the Italian and German FIA Formula 4 championships.
On the subject of Schumacher, new Ferrari Team Principle Mattia Binotto said “For someone like me who has known him from birth, there’s no doubt that welcoming Mick into Ferrari has a special emotional meaning, but we have chosen him for his talent and the human and professional qualities that have already distinguished him despite his young age.”
While Mick Schumacher commented “I am thrilled that Ferrari has entered a partnership with me and my next future in motorsport will be in red, being part of the Ferrari Driver Academy and also of the Scuderia Ferrari Family. Again, this is another step forward in the right direction, and I can only profit from the immense amount of expertise bundled there. Be sure I will make everything to extract whatever helps me achieve my dream, racing in Formula 1.
It is more than obvious that Ferrari has a big place in my heart since I was born and also in the hearts of our family, so I am delighted on a personal level about this opportunity as well. At this stage it is however also time to say thank you to my family, friends and partners who supported me all along and helped me arrive at this point.”
3Legs4Wheels will have coverage of the F2 and F3 championships all season both here on the website and on the podcasts from when their respective seasons start at the Bahrain Grand Prix in March (F2) and the Spanish Grand Prix in May (F3)
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