Mick Schumacher will drive his father Michael’s 2004 Ferrari Formula One car in a demonstration run at the German Grand Prix in Hockenheim next month.
Mick, who races in Formula 2 for Italian outfit Prema and is a part of Ferrari’s young driver development programme, will drive the car before qualifying on Saturday July 27 and again before the pre-race drivers’ parade the following day, Formula One’s commercial rights holders said in a media release.
The demonstration run, at a track where Schumacher took four of his record 91 Formula One wins, was being held to mark the 15th anniversary of his 2004 title success, the statement said.
“I think it’s mega driving this car in Hockenheim,” said the 20-year-old Mick, who drove his father’s 1994 Benetton car at the Belgian Grand Prix in 2017 and tested this year’s Ferrari in Bahrain in April.
“The last time I was on this track was when I celebrated my Formula 3 championship title and now I’ll be able to drive one of the strongest cars in Formula One history there — a big grin creeps into my face,” added the 2018 European Formula 3 champion.
The Ferrari F2004 carried Schumacher senior to his seventh and final championship during a dominant year in which the Italian team won 15 of the 18 races.
Schumacher, already the most successful driver in Formula One history, scored 13 of those 15 wins and wrapped up the title with four races to spare with second place at the Belgian Grand Prix that August.
“It will be an emotional moment seeing Mick at the wheel of a car linked to so many great memories,” said Formula One managing director Ross Brawn, who was technical director at Ferrari during the Schumacher years and is a close friend of the German.
“The F2004 was a fantastic car which took 15 wins and both championship titles in a season that can be seen as the culmination of a golden period.”
Schumacher senior suffered head injuries in a skiing accident in 2013 and has not been seen in public since.
REUTERS