Ferrari adds Mick Schumacher to F1 junior programme

Mick Schumacher, the son of seven-time Formula 1 world champion Michael, has officially joined Ferrari’s young driver programme.

As reported by Motorsport.com earlier this week, the reigning European Formula 3 champion had been close to formalising his entry into the Ferrari Driver Academy.

Ferrari has now confirmed Schumacher’s FDA deal, and announced that he will be joined by fellow Formula 2 racers Callum Ilott and Giuliano Alesi, plus Marcus Armstrong, Robert Shwartzman, Enzo Fittipaldi and Gianluca Petecof.

F2 race winner Antonio Fuoco and long-time European F3 racer Guan Yu Zhou, who will join the F2 grid this year, are no longer listed among FDA members.

Ferrari's new F1 team principal Mattia Binotto was an engineer at the Maranello team when Michael Schumacher enjoyed his run of five straight titles from 2000 to 2004.

Binotto said: “For someone like me who has known him from birth, there’s no doubt that welcoming Mick into Ferrari has a special emotional meaning.

“But we have chosen him for his talent and the human and professional qualities that have already distinguished him despite his young age.”

Schumacher said he was “thrilled” to join Ferrari because of the family link as well as the team’s success and history.

His father spent 11 seasons with the famous Italian manufacturer, joining them in 1996 before retiring from F1 for the first time at the end of the 2006 campaign.

“It is more than obvious that Ferrari has a big place in my heart since I was born and also in the hearts of our family,” said Schumacher.

“So I am delighted on a personal level about this opportunity as well.”

The move will likely give Schumacher, who is preparing to race in Formula 2 this season, his first mileage in a contemporary F1 car during one of the in-season tests.

There are two two-day tests scheduled during the 2019 campaign, and two of those days must be completed by a driver who has not competed in more than two world championship F1 races in their career.

Ferrari leant on Antonio Giovinazzi to fulfil this criteria last year, but the Italian has moved into a full-time race seat with Sauber for 2019.

Schumacher could also be made available to customer teams Haas and Sauber.