Ferrari to make Mick Schumacher F1 decision later this year

Ferrari

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Ferrari to make Schumacher F1 decision later this year

The 21-year-old has improved in F2 so far this season

Ian Parkes

Friday 24 July 2020 08:31

Ferrari believes continued progress from Mick Schumacher this year may yet warrant his promotion to Formula 1 for next season.

Following a difficult debut campaign in F2 last season for the 21-year-old, Schumacher has started this term on a more positive note.

Notably, the Ferrari Academy product finished third in both the feature and sprint race over the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend with Prema Racing to move up to fourth in the drivers' standings.

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Should Alfa Romeo opt not to renew the contracts of either Kimi Raikkonen or Antonio Giovinazzi - similarly with another Ferrari-powered team in Haas - there is the possibility of the Schumacher name again being in F1 in 2021.

Assessing Schumacher's performances so far this season, Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto said: "Mick is certainly doing well, he is going a lot better [compared] to last year. That was important for him and his second year of F2.

"He has been showing promise since the start of the season. He had some bad luck situations, but he will look at his results in Hungary, and he did well.

"So Mick is progressing, which is important, but for next year, I think it is too early to decide."

Suggesting an F1 seat is there for the taking if Schumacher's performances maintain their upward trajectory, Binotto added: "We have been clear and fair with him.

"His overall performance in the championship will be important. He will be in an F1 seat by the time that we believe he has done sufficient progress overall.

"We need him to simply continue as he is doing, and we will decide later on in the season."

Schumacher, though, has so far been outperformed by his Prema team-mate and another Academy driver in Robert Shwartzman who leads the F2 championship after scoring feature race wins in the second race in Austria and again in Hungary.

Binotto actually has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal as a third Academy driver in Calum Ilott is currently second to Shwartzman in the F2 standings after he won the season-opening feature race in Austria and was second in the sprint race in Hungary.

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