On Tuesday, a Schumacher hopped behind the wheel of a Ferrari Formula 1 race car once again.
This time it was Mick Schumacher, the son of the most-decorated F1 driver of all time, Michael Schumacher, but he wasn't actually racing. Ferrari chose Mick to participate during official F1 testing at the Bahrain International Circuit. Recall, he joined the Ferrari Driver Academy in January.
Despite some wet weather and the track being completely dirty from a sandstorm that hit the area surrounding the circuit only on Monday, the young Schumacher was a natural in the car, in this case Ferrari's 2019 F1 challenger, the SF90.
By the end of his first day in an F1 car, he had run up a total of 56 laps, which is roughly equivalent to a full race. His best time was a 1:29.976, which was only a couple of seconds off the fastest lap set by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc during Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix.
Mick Schumacher enjoys first taste of F1 during Ferrari test session in Bahrain - April 02, 2019
“I really enjoyed today; it felt like home in the garage from the very first moment with a lot of people that know me since I was very young,” Schumacher said after the test. “The SF90 is incredible because of the power it has, but it is also smooth to drive, and that’s why I enjoyed myself so much.”
On Wednesday, he was provided with some time behind the wheel of Alfa Romeo's F1 car during a second test session at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Schumacher has quickly climbed the motorsport rungs. The 20-year-old secured eight race wins and 14 podiums in Formula 3 last year. And this year, he made his debut in Formula 2 as a driver for Prema Racing. A successful F2 season could usher him onto the F1 starting grid.
Note, Mick Schumacher has previously driven an F1 car, though not during an official F1 event. In 2017, he piloted his father's 1994 F1 race car to mark the 25th anniversary of his first win in F1. Michael would go on to win seven world championships. Six of the titles were with Ferrari. Today, the elder Schumacher remains in recovery following a serious skiing accident in 2013 that left the all-star driver with serious brain damage.