Mick Schumacher opens up on F1 icon dad Michael in new book - 'Then he had his accident'

Mick Schumacher was conscionable 14 erstwhile his father, 7 clip Formula 1 satellite champion Michael Schumacher, suffered life-changing injuries successful a skiing mishap from which helium continues to retrieve today

Mick Schumacher says helium did "everything my dada did" arsenic a kid arsenic helium revealed helium inactive uses proposal fixed to him by his Formula 1 fable begetter Michael to this day.

Michael Schumacher shares the all-time F1 grounds with Lewis Hamilton arsenic a seven-time champion of the sport. However, successful December 2013, conscionable a twelvemonth aft his 2nd and last retirement, helium suffered life-changing injuries portion skiing successful the French Alps.

Details of his information person been kept nether wraps ever since with his woman Corinna fiercely protective of her husband's privacy. Their lad Mick was conscionable 14 astatine the clip of his mishap and was forced to proceed to prosecute his imagination of reaching F1 without the guiding manus of his begetter down him.

He made it to F1 and raced with Haas for 2 seasons until helium mislaid his spot astatine the extremity of the 2022 season. Since then, helium has been a reserve operator with the Mercedes squad that his begetter came retired of status to contention for betwixt 2010 and 2012, helping found the squad connected the grid.

Having spent 18 months embedded wrong the squad for his caller publication 'Inside Mercedes F1', which published this week, writer Matt Whyman was fixed unrestricted entree to each of the celebrated faces who are progressive successful the project. That included young Mick, and 1 speech with the German successful which helium speaks astir his father's power is included successful the book.

"I was a brainsick kid - everything my dada did, I did," helium told Whyman. "I started karting aged three. I was six erstwhile I archetypal went scuba diving. Aged 10 I was skydiving. My dada was ever precise unfastened to maine trying retired immoderate I wanted to bash and racing is each I wanted to do, due to the fact that I enjoyed it the most.

"He was truly supportive and a batch of fun, but could besides beryllium challenging. One clip successful a karting contention I braked precise precocious going into a country and gained a batch of time. When I told him astir it, helium said, 'Yes, but you should person braked similar that successful each corner!'

"Whenever helium felt similar I was not taking it seriously, helium would say, 'Mick, would you alternatively spell and play shot with your friends? If so, we bash not request to bash each of this'. I insisted that I wanted to contention and helium said, 'Okay, past let's bash it properly'. So we started doing much European karting and I was getting better."

With 1 of the sport's top ever drivers wholly progressive successful his development, Mick had a cardinal vantage implicit his rivals arsenic helium moved up done the younker ranks. However, that each changed erstwhile the mishap happened - though his begetter is inactive there, helium has not been capable to telephone upon his acquisition of contented since.

"Then my dada had his accident," Mick continued. "I started racing successful the Formula classes the twelvemonth aft and from past connected I had to bash it each connected my own.

"But I decidedly learned a batch of method points from him that I inactive usage today, arsenic good arsenic from his coaching. And I person ever been precise resilient. Whenever I got wounded I would leap similar on, and I americium inactive similar that, successful fact."

On apical of his duties with Mercedes, Schumacher has been racing hypercars successful the World Endurance Championship with the nascent Alpine entry. This play helium shared the #36 car with French duo Nicolas Lapierre and Matthieu Vaxiviere, and the item was a maiden podium for the task astatine the Six Hours of Fuji.

However, helium has had little joyousness successful his bid to instrumentality to the F1 grid, arsenic helium remains without a spot backmost successful the athletics with the 2025 grid astir afloat set. He was considered by Audi for 1 of the seats astatine their Sauber team, but they this week announced alternatively that Formula 2 rubric contender Gabriel Bortoleto of Brazil has been signed to spouse Nico Hulkenberg adjacent year.