Mick Schumacher Refuses to Embrace His Reserve Role after....

With a surname like Schumacher in motorsport, you might think there’s a lot of pressure. But for Mick Schumacher, there’s nothing but pride. Son of the seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher, the 24-year-old is currently a reserve driver for the Mercedes team, which is headed up by Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

After making his F1 debut for the 2021 season, Mick raced in the pinnacle of motorsport for two years before making the switch to this new role with Mercedes in ’23. Keeping himself incredibly busy with countless hours on the team’s simulator to make the car the best it can be, the German is still learning and keeping himself ready for a comeback.

Speaking to Sports Illustrated, Schumacher discusses his new responsibilities, the lifestyle of an F1 driver and his unique friendship with Michelle Yeoh.

SI: What are the key responsibilities that you’re doing?

MS: In the European races, it’s really about the simulator so I’ll be doing the sim overnight support. So that’s been a key point for me, where I feel like I could contribute the most. Then obviously, on these races here, it’s just about being present, being in the meetings, trying to have input on things like when we do the Pirelli Hot Laps for guests—for example, I noticed it was very bumpy. So that’s something that I can directly share with the drivers and with the team, and hopefully help them for the practice time they have to prepare the car.

SI: Are there any new challenges you’ve faced when taking on this role?

MS: You get that you get presented with a big piece of cake, and then you aren’t actually allowed to eat it! It’s obviously a bit of an unfortunate position to be in because I’d much rather be racing. But on the other hand, I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of this team to be able to learn from them and hopefully become a better racing driver mentally.

SI: This is a team that has a lot of connection to the Schumacher name, with your father racing here from 2010 until his retirement in ‘12. How special is it to be a part of this team?

MS: It’s great. You know, you can see what my dad has put into a team. It’s so visible, and you still feel them today. I mean, 80% of the team in the engineering office seems like they are still the same. What was it, more than 10 years? Yeah, it’s great to see all of them and be working with them now.