Mick Schumacher makes Ferrari F1 debut at Bahrain test event

Mick Schumacher took the first steps towards emulating his legendary father Michael on Tuesday as he got behind the wheel of a Ferrari Formula One car.

Michael Schumacher won five of his seven world championships with the iconic Italian manufacturer during a dominant five-season spell between 2000 and 2004, and Mick made his own Ferrari debut at a test event in Bahrain.

The 20-year-old joined the Ferrari Driver Academy earlier this year and will follow his first laps in the famous red car by driving for Alfa Romeo on Wednesday.

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Schumacher won the 2018 F3 European Championship driving for Perma and also made his Formula 2 debut in Bahrain over the weekend.

Speaking before the test event, Schumacher revealed he was ready to make the step up.

“I’m totally confident and ready. It’s always been part of me,” he said. “I guess I always had the time and the chance to grow into that. I had a lot of people behind me that helped me on the path.”

He added: “The [F1] cars look beautiful. I guess to be a Formula 1 driver is something very special because obviously there are only 20. I guess if you are amongst them, it means you have reached a very good level, and is a goal that a lot of people dream of.”

Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, currently lead driver with Ferrari, was full of praise for his young compatriot.

“Obviously with the name and the son of Michael, there’s certainly some expectation, but to end up in Formula 1 you need to prove that you have the speed,” he said.

“So far he has done really well. The way he has developed in the last years, he deserves to be where he is now.”

Father Michael raced for the team between 1996 and 2006 before retiring for the first time.

He returned to race for Mercedes between 2010 and 2012 but suffered serious head injuries following a skiing accident in 2013 and was placed in a medically induced coma.

He was relocated to his home in Switzerland to continue his rehabilitation in 2016 and has not been seen in public since.

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