Frankfurt, Germany - Michael Schumacher's 15-year-old son Mick has outgrown kart racing and is moving up to Formula 4, a series for young talents.
The young Schumacher has signed a contract with Van Amersfoort Racing to drive in Formula 4.
The Dutch team's owner Frits van Amersfoort said on Monday: “We have watched his skills in test driving and are looking forward to a successful season.”
The son of the most successful driver in Formula One history got his racing start in the same kart series as his famous father, who honed his skills on a circuit near the family's home before moving on to Formula 3 and later Formula One glory.
With seven titles, Schumacher is the most successful Formula One driver in history and also holds many other records in the series. His brother Ralf was also a Formula One driver and is still involved with motorsport.
Michael Schumacher suffered severe head injuries in a skiing accident in December 2013. He was retired at the time of the accident. He is still recovering at his Swiss home after spending months in hospital.
NEW FORMULA
Mick Schumacher finished second in the world, European and German kart championships last season, racing as Mick Junior or under his mother's maiden name to protect his privacy.
He will make his debut for Van Amersfoort Racing in Oschersleben, Germany, on 25-26 Apri, by which time he will be 16.
Formula 4, the new single-seat category to FIA standards, is aimed at young drivers with a background in karting.
Van Amersfoort said: “In the past couple of years, it has become a tradition for us that we offer the runner-up from the German junior karting championship a test session in our simulator.
“It’s handled by the German motorsport authority, and that is how we first got in touch with Mick Schumacher last autumn. He spent a full day in the simulator at our headquarters in the Netherlands. Then we watched him at during a test session at Valencia and eventually, we reached an agreement to compete together in this year's ADAC Formula 4 series.”
Van Amersfoort ran Max Verstappen in Formula 3 last year. Verstappen, son of Michael Schumacher's former team-mate Jos, is set to become the youngest driver to start a Formula One race when the season opens later this month in Australia. He will be 17. Verstappen will be driving for Toro Rosso.
Sapa-AP