Ferrari Driver Academy member Mick Schumacher admitted that he hald private conversations with seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton after the Ferrari junior moved a step closer to his dream of driving for the Maranello team. Mick Schumacher, the son of legendary seven-time Formula 1 world champion and Scuderia Ferrari icon Michael, earned his F1 debut last year with Haas, despite the fact that it was a very difficult campaign for the Ferrari junior, which was expected given the fact that Haas decided not to focus on last year’s car and instead shift resources to the project for the current season.
Mick Schumacher, 22, is ready for his second Formula 1 championship with Haas, but at the same time he has received the role of reserve driver for Scuderia Ferrari, and has made no secret of his desire to one day race for the Italian side as a main driver. A few weeks ago, team principal Mattia Binotto confirmed Ferrari is closely monitoring the progress of Mick Schumacher, who has been on their academy programme since January 2019.
Mick Schumacher‘s chances of following in his father’s footsteps have apparently been helped by Lewis Hamilton, despite the 37-year-old having ironically replaced his dad at Mercedes after the German retired for the second and final time. In a recent interview for crash.net, the Ferrari junior was asked if the British driver had been willing to offer him advice when necessary.
“Yeah, definitely. He’s always been very open to giving advice to help me in the position I was in. Also, already back in the day, when my dad wasn’t with Mercedes anymore, I did get the chance to come to a few races and see him there. It’s been definitely nice knowing that when when he had time he was able to talk to me about certain things. Those conversations are obviously private. Some of it is related to racing but most of it is just on a friendly basis.” – the Haas driver explained.
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Like often happens, Mick Schumacher, who raced in both Formula 3 and Formula 2 before securing his Formula 1 seat with Haas, was again asked what it would mean to drive for Scuderia Ferrari and therefore “revive” the “special” combination of the Schumacher name and Ferrari in the future:
“I think in general it’s a dream for everybody to race for Ferrari. I think anybody would like to race there,” he replied – “But obviously my thoughts are very much on the here and now and trying to do my best job in the position that I am in with Haas. For sure hopefully with a better car we’ll be able to take the maximum out of it.” – he added.
The Maranello team’s current line-up of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will likely not change until 2024, but Mick Schumacher hopes to have a chance of joining the Italian side in 2025. At the same time, Mick is likely to now get his chance in red if either is forced to miss a race this campaign.
Given the new technical regulations which are introduced this season, Haas should perform better and Mick Schumacher hopes he will be able to challenge for a midfield place in 2022. The new rules include restrictions on aero-dynamic testing, tyre widths, and development of engine power units. The new Formula 1 championship begins on March 20 with the Bahrain Grand Prix, which takes place over 57 laps of the 5.412-kilometre Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.
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