German driver Mick Schumacher won his first Italian Formula 4 race in Misano yesterday after finishing second in qualifying.
The 17-year-old, son of seven-time Formula One champion Michael, topped his qualifying group and finished second overall in qualifying yesterday, following which he took a resounding victory on a wet track. He remained in second to begin the race, but managed to catch up on polesitter Marcos Siebert of Jenzer Motorsport to take the lead.
Driving for Italian side Prema Powerteam, who are the reigning Italian F4 champions, Schumacher went on to extend his lead throughout the race, and held on to top spot in the first race of the round.
Prema Powerteam has close associations to Formula One, most significantly with Ferrari, the team with which his father won five of his record-breaking seven world championship titles, which earned him the nickname ‘Red Baron.’
The team is closely associated with the Ferrari Drivers’ Academy, with Force India driver Sergio Perez and the late Jules Bianchi two of its most famous recruits. Bianchi had been in line for a seat with the team before his untimely 2015 death following injuries sustained in the Japanese Grand Prix of 2014.
Schumacher finished with a significant 2.3s lead to his closest competitor, Raul Guzman of Malta Formula Racing. His teammate Juan Manuel Correa rounded up the podium in third.
The teenager’s iconic father remains in recovery following his accident in the French Alps in December 2013. Schumacher sustained serious head injuries after skiing off piste in the alpine resort of Meribel, following which he was placed in an artificially induced coma. He is now in rehabilitation at the family home in Switzerland.
Earlier this year, Mick competed in the final round of the MRF Challenge series in Chennai, India, with a third-place podium finish. He won his first ever Formula 4 race last year at Oschersleben in Germany, with Dutch team Von Amersfoort Racing.
