Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Michael Schumacher given heartwarming ‘tribute’ by son Mick in new series

Mick Schumacher, a former F1 driver, drove his father’s 2011 Mercedes car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed

Kieran Jackson
Formula 1 Correspondent
Thursday 14 December 2023 09:41 GMT
Comments
Giant mural dedicated to F1 legend Michael Schumacher is unveiled in Bosnia

Mick Schumacher paid a heartwarming tribute to his father Michael in a new documentary about the seven-time F1 world champion.

Ferrari legend Michael has not been seen publicly since he suffered a near-fatal brain injury during a skiing accident in Meribel, France, nearly 10 years ago.

Mick, currently a reserve driver for Mercedes, drove the Mercedes W02 car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July – the same car his Dad drove in his penultimate season in Formula 1 in 2011.

But in a new documentary just released in Germany, titled Being Michael Schumacher, Mick speaks with emotion about wearing his father’s helmet and race-suit while driving the W02 at Goodwood.

“I had to have a helmet and the helmet was my Dad’s,” Schumacher said.

“I asked if it would be possible to wear his suit, too, to wear my Dad’s helmet and suit. It made it an even nicer experience than it would have been.

“It was a good car to drive, to do a few donuts in, and to pay a king of tribute to my father.”

Mick raced in F1 for two years before being dropped by Haas at the end of 2022. The 24-year-old, alongside his reserve duties for Mercedes, will drive in the World Endurance Championship for Alpine next year.

Mick Schumacher spoke with pride about wearing his father’s race suit at Goodwood in July (Getty Images)
Mick’s father, Michael, has not been seen publicly since a skiing accident nearly 10 years ago (Getty)

Schumacher’s wife Corinna has insisted on protecting his privacy since the accident in December 2013, with his medical condition shrouded in secrecy as he continues to recover at home.

As well as contributions from Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso in the new documentary, ex-Ferrari chief Ross Brawn revealed the two different sides to Schumacher’s personality and demeanour.

“By necessity, there were two Michaels,” he said. “The outwards facing Michael for media, TV and so on.

“Then there was the inwards facing Michael with the team, as an individual, as a person, there were two different people.

“That harsh, firm shield that he had to present didn’t exist as a private person.”

Being Michael Schumacher, a German-language five-part series, is now airing only in Germany on ARD’s media library.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in