Mick Schumacher will make his debut as a Formula 1 driver next year with Haas, the team have confirmed.
He will join fellow rookie Nikita Mazepin at the team as part of Haas’s all-new driver line-up for the 2021 F1 season.Schumacher won the European F3 championship in 2018 and joined the Ferrari Driver Academy the following year. He will make his debut with one of Ferrari’s two customer teams.
The 21-year-old said he was “simply speechless” at the opportunity.
“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.”
Schumacher will arrive in Formula 1 30 years after his father, Michael Schumacher, made his grand prix debut with Jordan. His father, who was 30 when Mick was born, became one of the most successful drivers in the sport’s history and achieved most of his victories with Ferrari.
His record of seven world championships was equalled this year by Lewis Hamilton, who also surpassed his benchmark tally of 91 race wins, claiming a record which Schumacher had held since 2001.
Michael Schumacher suffered a serious brain injury in December 2013, one year after his retirement from F1, when he fell while skiing in France. He has been in rehabilitation since.
Along with his father, Mick Schumacher will be the third member of the Schumacher family to race in F1, his uncle Ralf having also competed between 1997 and 2007. Ralf’s son David – Mick’s cousin – raced in Formula 3 this year with Charouz and Carlin, but ended the year point-less.
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Gallery: Mick Schumacher’s Haas seat fitting
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Kingshark (@kingshark)
2nd December 2020, 8:06
Fantastic news
Now let’s win that GP2 title Mick
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
2nd December 2020, 13:05
I suppose you mean F2 ! I still wonder why the GP2 name is still popular among F1 fans. I’m quite sure Alonso has nothing to do with that :)
anon
2nd December 2020, 17:40
@tifoso1989 as you say, it’s a bit weird that people are still calling it GP2 four years after it changed its name to Formula 2 – you can’t even use the excuse of that being the name of the car either, as the old GP2/11 chassis was replaced with the F2/18 chassis in 2018.
Luo Qingyang (@mianmian)
2nd December 2020, 19:29
I think sometimes the name you first associate with something just…sticks. I know it’s called F2 now but in my head I still refer to it as GP2 :’D
Aiii (@)
2nd December 2020, 8:11
What a shocking reveal.
I still have no clue why they waited this long to announce it and then just make it a press release on a race week Wednesday.
he Man
2nd December 2020, 9:54
Maybe contracts were still being negotiated?
Patrick (@paeschli)
2nd December 2020, 14:48
@aiii And the news of their driver line-up will be completely drowned in F1 media due to Russel being in a Mercedes this weekend, and two rookies having their F1 debut.
Tommy C (@tommy-c)
2nd December 2020, 8:22
Fantastic! Good luck to Haas developing that car though… does experience count for nothing these days…?
Patrick (@paeschli)
2nd December 2020, 8:25
No car to develop, the chassis is the same as the 2020 one + they don’t have the money for 2021 car development anyway. The drivers have access to Magnussen’s and Grosjean’s data from 2020, so they know if and where they are slower than last year’s drivers.
UNeedAFinn2Win (@uneedafinn2win)
2nd December 2020, 9:59
… they wish…
It’s a Dallara produced copy of a 2019 Ferrari
Lums (@lums)
2nd December 2020, 8:30
@tommy-c
It counts for nothing if their current drivers combined experience is anything to go by re developing the car. Let the rookies enjoy themselves. Worst case scenario, Hass will remain in the same position next year. Best case scenario, these new guys will actually help develop the car where Kevin and Romain has failed
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
2nd December 2020, 8:38
What development? They need Ferrari to fix the engine, and prepare for 2022
FP13
2nd December 2020, 8:58
Grosjean said that the rear of the car is unpredictable when they practice and qualifying the feel is different on the rear because the heat from the exhaust. i forgot the source saw it on couple Instagram post
Jere (@jerejj)
2nd December 2020, 8:31
Unsurprising. The outright first place on the drivers’ winning list might have been under the name of one driver from 2001 until the Portuguese GP, but 91 specifically had been the reference number from the 2006 Chinese GP.
Aussie Rod (@aussierod)
2nd December 2020, 8:51
The perfect driver line up to demonstrate what you need to make it all the way into a Formula 1 seat nowadays.
1) A famous racing father
or
2) A billionaire father
No offence intended to either driver and I wish them all the best. But the pool of opportunity seems to be so small for anyone who doesn’t tick either of those two boxes.
Jose Lopes da Silva
2nd December 2020, 12:15
I don’t wish Mazepin all the best. I just wish he doesn’t get hurt in the business.
mrfill (@mrfill)
2nd December 2020, 12:50
Like in the good old days of Hill, Villeneuvre, Andretti, Piquet, Rosberg and Senna (almost) ?
It’s been going on for years.
Motor racing is expensive. Very expensive. Even a modest kart outfit will cost thousands a year to run and to get anywhere. The days of a team consisting of Dad, son and a Transit are gone and that has reduced the pool so only the rich kids get the chance to progress to the point where they can maybe start making money.
What’s always been more difficult is to find the drivers who are not from rich families – the ones who aren’t millionaires at least. And that too has always been the case.
Don’t hold it against these two. Look at their racing and then decide if you think they’re any good or just cash cows.
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
2nd December 2020, 13:14
@aussierod
Forbes counted 2,095 billionaires this year and there are thousands of millionaires around the world ! So maybe the pool of opportunity is not as small as it seems.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
2nd December 2020, 8:59
I wish him well.
I wish them both well.
With that car and the way the team seems to operate these days they are going to need some luck as well as talent.
Dave
2nd December 2020, 9:10
Yeah.
Retired (@jeff1s)
2nd December 2020, 9:04
« I have always believed that I would realize my dream of Formula 1. »
Hanging in the paddock since birth, with 7-time champion as a father, of course.
I never believed I would realise my dream of F1.
Wayne
2nd December 2020, 9:28
So Haas has nobintereat in car development through the input from their drivers. They should have atleast kept 1 experienced driver to help for at least 1 season. This is just comical.
Dave
2nd December 2020, 9:33
Enjoy Australia 2021, Mick. Make sure to outscore Nikita.
skinner
2nd December 2020, 9:42
I really hope it’s just a one year stint and Mick can join Alfa for 2022.
He Man
2nd December 2020, 9:59
I’m honestly a bit sad he’s making is debut with Haas – arguable the worst car on the grid atm including Williams. Also the Ferrari link seems to be stronger with Alfa than it does with Haas. I just hope Ferrari sort out their PU for next year, and Haas build a car half way decent enough to drive to the points. The pressure he must feel must be huge!
JohnH (@johnrkh)
2nd December 2020, 10:11
2021 is going to be an interesting yr for Haas, two inexperienced drivers in a car that is well below par.
HK (@me4me)
2nd December 2020, 10:16
He’ll be in the position Russel finds himself in right now: All he can do to prove himself is beat his team mate consistently. The HAAS won’t be quick enough for anything else.
Also with Sainz at Ferrari on presumably a longer-term contract, Schumacher won’t get the opportunity Leclerc got and move up after a year.
Pironi the Provocateur (@pironitheprovocateur)
2nd December 2020, 10:18
Shame that the car will be such a disaster.
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
2nd December 2020, 14:34
I still think Haas are making life even more difficult for themselves by having two rookies join the team at the same time. I understand the financial reasons of course.
This I think all stems back to the strange decision by Alfa to keep both Kimi and Giovanazzi. I still don’t get that. I am not one of those that thinks drivers should automatically stop when they reach their mid-thirties but what really is the point in Kimi hanging around for another season?
Whoever it was might have left Alfa, this would have left a space for a rookie there and one at Haas. Even if Haas did not want to keep either of their current drivers there are plenty around with more experience.
kpcart
3rd December 2020, 5:13
Haas is going backwards and backwards, and now they have selected 2 average rookies to drive what is likely to be tghe worst car on the grid. I think haas is headed for a 2019 williams style season with no points and will soon pull out of f1.
Dave
4th December 2020, 14:14
You think so? Really? If they did end up like what you just said, then I would expect Mick to outperform just like Russell did in 2019. They’ll just fight for points and get closer to all the other midfield teams – that’s my prediction for Haas in 2021.