With Mick Schumacher’s form in junior racing categories becoming increasingly difficult to ignore, Ferrari says the door would always be open to the German driver in future.
The Schumacher name is synonymous with Ferrari — Mick’s father Michael won five of his seven world championships with the Italian team at the start of the 2000s. Michael remains statistically the most successful driver in F1 history, with 91 career victories.
Mick, 19, claimed his first Formula 3 victory at Spa-Francorchamps earlier this year. Since that victory his form has been stellar and he now holds a commanding lead of the championship, having won five races in a row.
Although Ferrari is reluctant to add to the pressure on Schumacher, team boss Maurizio Arrivabene has admitted the teenager will always be on his team’s radar.
“The most important thing is to let him grow, without giving pressure,” he said. “The recent results are very, very good, and I wish to him a great career.
“With a name like this, that wrote historical pages of Ferrari history, the door of Maranello is always open, of course. But without burning the step.
“That is a family decision, I mean a Schumacher family decision. But let the guys have fun. I always repeat this: be focused, concentrated, but in the meantime have fun, and grow slowly but certainly, and then we’ll see about the future.
“How can you can say ‘no’ at Maranello to a name like this?”
Schumacher looks set to move up to Formula 2, the category directly below F1, next season. He is not officially affiliated to any F1 team although Mercedes supports his current F3 campaign. The German driver has not participated in any F1 sessions, although he did drive the Benetton his father drove to the 1994 title ahead of last year’s Belgian Grand Prix.