Mick Schumacher got his first proper taste of a Formula 1 car during the first day of in-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Michael Schumacher’s son, aged 20, drove Ferrari’s 2019 car, the SF90, throughout the day and set the second fastest lap, being beaten only by Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen.
BBC Sport reports that Mick Schumacher completed 56 laps and set a best time of 1 minute 29.976 seconds on the softest and fastest tires available. His time on track, though, was hampered by bad weather throughout much of the middle of the day.
Nevertheless, Schumacher said he quickly felt at home in the Ferrari, despite only making his Formula Two debut at the same circuit over the weekend.
“I really enjoyed today. It felt like home in the garage from the very first moment with a lot of people that know me since I was very young.
“The SF90 is incredible because of the power it has, but it is also smooth to drive, and that’s why I enjoyed myself so much. I was impressed by the braking power an F1 car has. It seemed to me you could brake later and later and the car would have made the turn anyway.”
Schumacher’s fastest lap during testing was 2.11 seconds slower than Charles Leclerc’s pole position time on Saturday.
The 20-year-old German will also drive Alfa Romeo’s 2019 car during the third day of Bahrain testing.
Earlier this year, Schumacher was recruited to the Ferrari Driver Academy and if he performs well in his debut Formula Two season, he could be fast-tracked by the Italian racing squad into Formula One.