Ferrari appoint Mick Schumacher as reserve driver for 2022 F1 season
Mick Schumacher, the son of motor racing great Michael, has taken another step towards emulating his father by becoming a reserve driver at Ferrari’s Formula 1 team.
Schumacher Sr won five of his record-equalling seven F1 world championships in the famous red livery of the Italian outfit.
From 2022, Mick Schumacher, 22, will combine his role as a driver for Haas with a reserve position at his father’s old team.
Schumacher Jr, who became part of the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2019, will share the job with Antonio Giovinazzi, filling in for the Italian when he is driving in Formula E.
They could be called upon to take part in practice, qualifying or a grand prix if one of Ferrari’s regular drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr, were unavailable for a race weekend.
“He is a Ferrari driver. We should not forget that,” said Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto. “He has been part of the academy and the reason we have an academy is to identify who can be the next Ferrari driver for the future.”
Schumacher Jr did not win any points for Haas in his debut season competing in F1 but he did show potential to justify Ferrari’s faith that he could take up a race seat as soon as 2023.
“If I look at the last races he was a lot closer to cars ahead even though Haas did not really develop the car at all,” Binotto added. “So the fact he was closer showed he had good improvement on the speed itself.”
If Schumacher Jr is needed by Ferrari next season, Pietro Fittipaldi – who is himself the grandson of another F1 great, Brazilian two-time champion Emerson Fittipaldi – will deputise for him at Haas.