Formula 1 drivers come and go, but the legacy of Michael Schumacher will live on for decades to come. The German racing driver, who has yet to recover from a skiing accident that happened in December 2013, made his debut in the uppermost echelon of motorsport in 1991 with Jordan, at Belgium’s infamous Spa circuit.
The year was 1992 when Schumacher fought his way to the maiden win, sitting on top of the podium of the Belgian Grand Prix. Little did Michael know that many more wins will follow (91), as well as seven world titles and 1,566 career points. Michael’s son is following in his father’s footsteps, with Mick currently proving himself in the FIA European Formula 3 Championship.
Born in 1999 and aged 18, Mick Schumacher began with karting in 2008, after which he made the switch to ADAC Formula 4 and the Italian F4 Championship. Describing his father as “my idol” and “my role model,” Mick had a go at trying Michael’s Spa-winning Benetton B194 racecar for a change.
Powered by a naturally aspirated Ford 3.5-liter V8 and tipping the scales at 515 kilograms (1,135 pounds), the B194 is a very different beast from the 2.0-liter engined Formula 3 open-seater Mick is accustomed to.
But for all that, Michael’s son demonstrated the car on the 7-kilometer long Spa like he owned the place. The comparison video, uploaded to YouTube by Formula 1, makes it easy to draw a conclusion about Mick’s talent.
“I am still smiling, what a feeling,” Mike commented in an Instagram post after one lap with the B194 Spec 5, looking thoroughly impressed by the single-seater’s performance. It’s a long way to the top for Schumacher’s son, but with perseverance and a hunger for improvement, Mick will make it to F1.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News