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The annual 24 Hours of Le Mans race takes place at the world-famous track in France this weekend, and one of the competing drivers already has a name cemented in motorsporting legend.
Mick Schumacher is one of the 2024 Le Mans drivers who has raced at Formula One level, being part of the Haas team for two seasons in 2021 and 2022.
He only managed to win 12 points for top-10 finishes over the course of that period, and has not been seen in an F1 race since, but as well as trying his hand at endurance racing — of which the 24 Hours of Le Mans is the pinnacle — Schumacher is still a reserve driver for Mercedes in the current F1 season, playing second-fiddle to Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
With Le Mans, one of motorsport’s Triple Crown events alongside the Monaco Grand Prix and Indianapolis 500, about to get underway on June 15, here’s all the lowdown on Mick Schumacher and the legendary motorsport connections that mean you probably already know his name.
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Is Mick Schumacher related to Michael Schumacher?
Indeed he is! Mick is the son of legendary Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher, and was born in Switzerland, just over 18 months before the German won his third of seven World Drivers’ Championship titles in 1999.
Mick’s birth appeared to be a good luck charm for both Schumacher senior and his Ferrari team, winning the Constructors’ Championship that year despite breaking his leg at Silverstone midway through the season, and going on to win five straight individual titles between 2000 and 2004.
When did Mick Schumacher make his Formula 1 debut?
Schumacher’s family name and the immediate fame that came with it led to a heap of attention and pressure being applied on him well before he first appeared on the F1 circuit.
To try and avoid this, Schumacher initially competed under the moniker ‘Mick Betsch’ — his mother Corinna’s maiden name — when he first started kart racing, and then ‘Mick Junior’ as he worked his way up the ranks towards Formula 1.
Finally competing under his surname, Schumacher was given a two-year contract with Haas starting in 2021, but was unable to claim any points in the World Drivers’ Championship that year.
In 2022 Schumacher’s teammate Nikita Mazepin was replaced by experienced Dane Kevin Magnussen at Haas, and that coincided with the youngster putting in a much-improved second season on the track.
Enhancements to his car saw Schumacher win points with strong finishes at some iconic circuits, coming in eighth in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone and sixth in Austria.
Those top-10 finishes didn’t win enough points for Schumacher to overtake his teammate Magnussen in the overall standings though, finishing the season with 12 to the Dane’s 25.
Mick Schumacher’s future after F1
Schumacher’s Haas contract was not renewed at the end of 2022 and another experienced driver, fellow German Nico Hulkenberg, replaced him alongside Magnussen and has kept that seat for the past two seasons.
Without a spot on any of the 10 competing teams in 2023 and 2024, Schumacher has stayed involved with F1, and has been one of two reserve drivers for Mercedes.
Mick’s lack of a full-time F1 contract has also allowed him to pursue other interests and spend time with his family, especially valuable after his father suffered a life-changing brain injury in a 2013 skiing accident.
Russell and Hamilton are both making huge improvements after slow starts to the 2024 season, but if either Brit is unable to drive in an F1 race this year, Schumacher — keen to produce a statement victory at Le Mans this weekend in the Alpine car — will step into the breach.
MORE: TSN’s full guide to the 2024 Formula One World Championship season