Formula 1: Will Mick Schumacher replace Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari in 2021?

By Asher Fair | Jan 23, 2019

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - NOVEMBER 10: Sebastian Vettel of Germany driving the (5) Scuderia Ferrari SF71H (Photo by Charles Coates/Getty Images) /

Reigning European Formula 3 champion Mick Schumacher recently joined the Ferrari Driver Academy. Could he be in line to replace Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari in the 2021 Formula 1 season?

Following the late-season surge that earned him the 2018 Formula 3 European Championship, Mick Schumacher, the son of seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher, landed a ride with Prema Racing for the 2019 Formula 2 season.

Not even two months later, the 19-year-old German is the newest member of the Ferrari Driver Academy.

Schumacher 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 at the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2019.

Of the three Ferrari Driver Academy drivers who are set to compete in Formula 2 in the 2019 season, Schumacher has accomplished the most in his racing career so far having won the 2018 Formula 3 European Championship and appears to be in the best position to contend for this year’s Formula 2 championship.

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Could he be in line to replace Sebastian Vettel at Scuderia Ferrari in the 2021 Formula 1 season?

In the summer of 2017, the four-time Formula 1 champion signed a three-year contract extension to continue driving for Ferrari through the 2020 season.

Considering the fact that Vettel has thrown away his chances to potentially win the championships in both the 2017 season and the 2018 season through a plethora of unforced errors, it would not be surprising to see the Scuderia move on from him once this contract extension runs out.

Would Schumacher be his replacement?

Before I get accused of “getting ahead of myself”, read this article and make note of the date. Thanks in advance.

Former Ferrari Driver Academy driver Charles Leclerc drove for Prema Racing in the 2017 Formula 2 season, his first season competing in the series, and he won the championship. The following year, he was promoted to Formula 1 as a driver for Alfa Romeo Sauber, and after one season driving for the Swiss team, he is set to drive for Ferrari as the replacement for Kimi Raikkonen beginning in the 2019 season.

Because of Sauber’s title sponsorship agreement with Alfa Romeo, Ferrari have the right to select one of Sauber’s two drivers. They selected Leclerc for the 2018 season after he won the 2017 Formula 2 championship, so there is a good possibility that they could select Schumacher for the 2020 season if he performs at a high level in the 2019 Formula 2 season, especially if he wins the championship.

Schumacher could very well drive for Sauber in the 2020 Formula 1 season even if he doesn’t win the 2019 Formula 2 championship, as the three drivers who finished in the top three in the 2018 Formula 2 driver standings are all set to compete in Formula 1 in the 2019 season.

These drivers are champion George Russell, second place finisher Lando Norris and third place finisher Alexander Albon, and they are set to drive for Williams Racing, McLaren and Scuderia Toro Rosso in the 2019 Formula 1 season, respectively. Heading into the 2018 season, only Albon had ever competed full-time in Formula 2 before, and he had only done so in the 2017 season.

Schumacher driving for Sauber in the 2020 season is not out of the realm of possibility, meaning that him driving for Ferrari in the 2021 season is not out of the realm of possibility, either. This is especially the case considering the fact that Leclerc replaced Raikkonen after just one season driving for Sauber as well as the fact that the 2020 season, as referenced above, is the final season for Vettel at Ferrari under his current contract.

However, Schumacher driving for Ferrari in the 2021 season is not as likely as him driving for Sauber in the 2020 season, and if he does not drive for Sauber in the 2020 season, there is almost no way he will drive for Ferrari in the 2021 season.

While Vettel’s contract with Ferrari is set to expire at the end of the 2020 season, he could end up being re-signed by the team if he is able to minimize the amount of crucial mistakes he makes over the next two seasons and possibly win at least another championship.

Even if Ferrari opt not to sign Vettel for the 2021 season, they could sign current Aston Martin Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen, the 21-year-old Dutchman whose contract with the Milton Keynes-based team is also set to expire at the end of the 2020 season.

With Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport’s Lewis Hamilton having already stated that he may leave the team following the 2020 season and hand the baton to George Russell, there have even been rumors that Ferrari may sign him for at least one season before he retires. After all, of the five drivers who have won at least four Formula 1 championships, he is the only one who has never driven for the Italian team.

More than likely, if Schumacher drives for Sauber in the 2020 season, he will stay with the team for the 2021 season to continue to develop as a potential future Ferrari driver if he is not signed by Ferrari at that point, so Ferrari would not risk losing him to another organization by signing another driver, especially if that driver is a veteran such as Vettel or Hamilton and is signed for only one or two seasons.

If Schumacher ends up driving for Ferrari at some point, it would likely not be until the 2022 season or the 2023 season. While Leclerc made the jump to Ferrari rather quickly, it is hard to see Schumacher doing the same even if he wins the 2019 Formula 2 championship and performs at a high level in the 2020 Formula 1 season if given a chance to do so for Sauber. That said, it could certainly happen, especially if he can do both of these things.

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When the 2021 Formula 1 season rolls around, will Mick Schumacher be driving for Ferrari as Sebastian Vettel’s replacement, or will Vettel return to the team on a new contract? If neither, who will the team sign to replace the four-time champion?

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