Mick Schumacher will make his F1 debut next year as the F2 championship leader joins Haas on a multi-year deal.
The Ferrari academy driver is part of an all-new lineup for the team, following yesterday’s announcement that Nikita Mazepin will also race for Haas next year.
The 21-year-old, who is the son of seven-time champion Michael Schumacher, is a former FIA European Formula 3 champion. He looks set to add the F2 title to his CV this weekend, as he heads into the final round of the campaign leading the standings, ahead of fellow Ferrari product Callum Ilott.
Team principal Guenther Steiner said: “I’m very pleased that we’re able to confirm Mick Schumacher in our driver lineup for next season and I look forward to welcoming him into the team. The Formula 2 Championship has long served as a proving ground for talent to showcase their credentials and this year’s field has undoubtedly been one of the most competitive in recent seasons. Mick has won races, collected podiums and excelled against some pretty exceptional talent in 2020. I firmly believe he’s earned the opportunity to graduate into Formula 1 based on his performances. We have an opportunity ahead of us, as a team, to evaluate and nurture a new driver given our familiarity with our race package heading into 2021. We are putting in place our building blocks for the continued long-term growth of the team and I look forward to Mick’s contributions both on and off the track in that process.”
Schumacher added: “The prospect of being on the Formula 1 grid next year makes me incredibly happy and I’m simply speechless. I would like to thank Haas F1 Team, Scuderia Ferrari and the Ferrari Driver Academy for placing their trust in me. I also want to acknowledge and extend my love to my parents – I know that I owe them everything. I have always believed that I would realize my dream of Formula 1. A huge thank you must also go to all the great motorsport fans out there who have supported me throughout my career. I will give it my all, as I always do, and I look forward to going on this journey together with Haas F1 and them.”
Haas’s new lineup comes after a four-year partnership between Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean, both of whom are set to leave F1 at the end of the year. The announcement also means there’ll be no race seat at Haas for Pietro Fittipaldi, who makes his debut for the team this weekend in place of Grosjean, who is recovering from burns suffered in last week’s Bahrain Grand Prix.