Driver Profile: Mick Schumacher

Biography of F1 driver Mick Schumacher

The son of seven-time F1 World Champion Michael Schumacher, Mick began his racing career in 2008. He did so under the pseudonym ‘Mick Betsch’, his mother’s maiden name, in order to avoid attention because of his famous father.

Schumacher competed in the KF3 class of the ADAC Kart Masters in 2011 and 2012, along with the Euro Wintercup of the KF3 and a single season of the KF3 Rating DMB Kart Championship.

Racing under the name ‘Mick Junior’, he raced in International and National Junior Championships, as well as the European and World Championships.

After testing for Jenzer Motorsport at the end of 2014, Schumacher competed in formula classes for the first time in 2015, joining Van Amersfoort Racing in the ADAC Formula 4. He joined Prema Powerteam the following year, a team with close links to the Ferrari Driver Academy. He entered the Italian F4 Championship, ending the year as runner-up in both series.

Success in Formula 3 and Formula 2

Schumacher made his Formula 3 debut with Prema Powerteam in April 2017, with his best finish being a third place at Monza. Although he was the lowest classified Prema driver, he ended the year as the third best rookie.

Another season at Prema got off to a slow start, as he didn’t register his first win until the 15th race at Spa-Francorchamps. Before the victory, he found himself 10th, 67 points behind championship leader Dan Ticktum. However seven more wins, including a run of five in a row, helped him finish 57 points clear of Ticktum atop the championship.

Schumacher made the move to Formula 2 in 2019, partnering Sean Gelael at Prema Racing. His sole win came in the sprint race in Hungary, as he ended the year 12th with 53 points.

A slow start in 2020 gave way in Hungary, when he finished on the podium at both races, before then going on a run of five consecutive podiums from Spain to Monza. This included a feature race win at Monza, while allowed him to take the championship lead at Mugello.

Schumacher entered the final round in Sakhir with a 14-point lead over Callum Ilott, and his weekend got off to a rocky start as he qualified a career-worst 18th following an incident with Roy Nissany. He recovered to finish sixth with the fastest lap, maintaining the points gap ahead of the final race.

In the sprint race, Schumacher dropped out of the points after pitting for fresh tyres after flat-spotting them while fighting for the lead. Luckily for him, Ilott didn’t fare much better, as he also fell out of the points, handing the 2020 Formula 2 Championship to Schumacher.

Schumacher makes the move to F1

His Formula 2 success opened the door to Formula 1, with Schumacher signing a multi-year contract to drive for Haas beginning with the 2021 season.

Schumacher qualified 19th for his debut race in Bahrain, eventually finishing last of the remaining drivers down in 16th. There were several learning experiences for the youngster over the course of the season, which included crashing in front of the pit lane exit during a Safety Car period. He also crashed heavily during practice for the Monaco Grand Prix, with Haas unable to repair his car in time for qualifying.

Schumacher caused a red flag during qualifying for the French Grand Prix, though it secured him a first appearance in Q2. He missed the final practice session in Hungary after crashing, though he finished the race 13th. He was later promoted to 12th following Sebastian Vettel’s disqualification, his best result of the year.

A first retirement came in Russia due to an oil leak, while he qualified a season-best 14th for the Turkish Grand Prix. Schumacher will remain with Haas for the 2022 season, now partnered by Kevin Magnussen after the team terminated their contract with Nikita Mazepin.