Ralf Schumacher’s son missed out on F2 spot as it’s ‘no longer affordable’

Financial cost often proves to be a significant barrier for young drivers trying to reach the top

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David Schumacher, the cousin of Haas driver Mick Schumacher, found that it was “no longer affordable” to continue his journey into Formula One through finding a Formula 2 seat, according to his father, the former Williams driver Ralf Schumacher.

The 20-year-old had been looking to make the step up to F2 following two seasons in Formula 3, where he finished 11th in last year’s championship. But a lack of sponsorship interest has put his journey on hold, with the German instead turning to the DTM touring cars circuit.

David Schumacher is the nephew of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher and would be looking to become the fourth member of the Schumacher to race in Formula One, but father Ralf says financial costs have proved to be too much of a barrier.

“The path to Formula 1 is simply no longer affordable,” Ralf Schumacher told German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. “We had two or three small supporters, but until now I basically paid for everything. And now there was nothing to be found, Formula 2 doesn’t stand out strongly enough as a format.

“Still, I had hoped that there would be more interest from David. It would certainly have worked well in synergy with Mick.”

Ralf Schumacher said it costs up to 200,000 euros to sustain even a single season in karting, with a full year in Formula 4 being double that cost.

“You spend about 10 years in karting, then I’m at two million,” he explained. “Then comes Formula 4, which is also another two years. If I run Formula 4 properly, then I’m at around 450,000 euros per season. Then we’re already at 2.9 million.”