The famous Schumacher name has returned to Formula One after it was confirmed that Mick – son of seven-time world champion Michael – will drive for Haas in the 2021 season.
The F2 star, 21, who is currently leading the drivers’ championship, has been chosen to make the step up to the sport’s top level alongside the controversial Nikita Mazepin in Haas’ all-new driver line-up for next season.
The announcement of Schumacher’s arrival comes just weeks after Lewis Hamilton confirmed his place alongside his dad Michael in the record books with seven world championships.
Mick Schumacher has been confirmed as a driver for Haas in the 2021 Formula One season
Mick (C), pictured with his seven-time world champion father Michael and mother Corinna
Michael Schumacher won seven world titles and is widely regarded as the best F1 driver ever
Michael last raced in 2012 and is widely regarded as the sport’s greatest ever driver. In December 2013 he suffered a severe brain injury in a skiing accident and his health has been a closely-guarded secret ever since.
Having a Schumacher back in F1 is hugely exciting news for racing fans, and Mick has signed a multi-year deal at the American team, it was announced on Wednesday morning.
A member of the Ferrari driving academy, there is a view that he will one day follow in his father’s footsteps and race in the famous red car that his dad won five of his seven championships in.
Mick will get an early chance to drive in the Haas car this season when he features in the first practice session at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 11, before then participating in the end-of-season young driver test at the same Yas Marina Circuit four days later.
Speaking following the announcement on Wednesday, Schumacher said: ‘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 realise my dream of Formula 1.
Mick has followed in his father’s footsteps and looks likely to win the F2 title before stepping up
Mick drives his father’s 2004 Ferrari before the Tuscan Grand Prix at Mugello in September
Mick says he is ‘simply speechless’ at the news that he will follow his famous father into F1
‘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.’
Schumacher still has one race to go in the current F2 World Championship, where he holds a 14-point advantage at the top of the drivers’ leaderboard, ahead of Brit Callum Ilott and Russia’s Nikita Mazepin.
Mazepin will be his Haas team-mate next season as the pair replace current drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen.
Haas 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.’
Since watching his dad race at the very top of F1 for so many years, Mick has been destined to follow in his footsteps and currently has six years of open-wheel racing experience under his belt.
Mick sits with his father Michael on a Honda motorbike; he was always destined to be a racer
Mick attends the German Sports Press Ball in Frankfurt with his mother Corinna last year
Nikita Mazepin will be the other Haas driver in 2021 as the team go for an all-new line-up
He began in 2015 in the ADAC F4 Germany series, before progressing to Formula 3, where he won the title in 2018 with eight victories.
He joined the Ferrari Academy in 2019 as he made his F2 debut, and he now looks set to secure a victory in that championship before climbing again to the pinnacle of F1.
He got his first taste behind the wheel of an F1 car back in April when he took part in testing in Bahrain with both Scuderia Ferrari and Alfa Romeo across two days.
Schumacher (front) leads the current F2 drivers championship heading into the final race
Lewis Hamilton this season equalled Michael Schumacher’s record and held his helmet aloft
Mick (centre) walks the track with his Prema Racing team ahead of the Bahrain GP last week