Formula 1: Will Mick Schumacher drive for Sauber in the 2020 season?
By Asher Fair
Will the newest member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, Mick Schumacher, be promoted to Formula 1 as a driver for Alfa Romeo Sauber in the 2020 season?
Mick Schumacher, the son of seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher, entered the 15th race of the 30-race 2018 Formula 3 European Championship having never won a race in the series in any of his previous 44 starts in it.
He proceeded to win eight of the next 12 races and finish in second place in three of the final four races of the season en route to winning the 2018 Formula 3 European Championship.
After securing this championship, the 19-year-old German signed with Prema Racing for the 2019 Formula 2 season, getting him one step closer — and just one step away — from being promoted to Formula 1.
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Now Schumacher is the newest member of the Ferrari Driver Academy. He is set to join fellow Formula 2 drivers Callum Ilott and Giuliano Alesi as well as Formula 3 European Championship drivers Marcus Armstrong and Robert Shwartzman, Formula Regional European Championship driver Enzo Fittipaldi and Italian Formula 4 Championship and the ADAC Formula 4 Championship driver Gianluca Petecof.
With the three drivers who finished in the top three in the 2018 Formula 2 driver standings all set to compete in Formula 1 in the 2019 season (champion George Russell to Williams Racing, second place finisher Lando Norris to McLaren and third place finisher Alexander Albon to Scuderia Toro Rosso) despite the fact only one of them (Albon) had ever competed full-time in Formula 2 prior to the 2018 season, will Schumacher be promoted to Formula 1 as a driver for Alfa Romeo Sauber, one of the two customer Ferrari teams, for the 2020 season if he has success in his first season competing in Formula 2 this year?
Former Ferrari Driver Academy driver Charles Leclerc won the 2017 Formula 2 championship in his first season competing in the series, and he did so driving for Prema Racing. The following year, he was promoted to Formula 1 as a driver for Sauber, where he spent one season before he was promoted to Scuderia Ferrari for the 2019 season.
Per Sauber’s title sponsorship agreement with Alfa Romeo, Ferrari have the right to select one of their two drivers. They selected Leclerc for the 2018 season following his 2017 Formula 2 championship-winning season.
If Schumacher wins the 2019 Formula 2 championship, or even if he comes close, Ferrari could certainly select him to drive for Sauber in the 2020 season. At this point, this almost seems like it is the likely scenario.
That said, a lot can happen between now and then to change things, especially considering the fact that the 2019 Formula 2 season has not yet begun as well as the fact that Antonio Giovinazzi, the driver who Ferrari selected to drive for Sauber in the 2019 season, has not yet had a chance to show what he is capable of doing in Formula 1 as a full-time driver.
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Will Mick Schumacher drive for Sauber in the 2020 Formula 1 season, or will he have to wait at least another season before he competes in Formula 1? How will he perform in his rookie Formula 2 season this year?