04 January 2023 , 20:06
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Mick Schumacher shared a photograph of himself with his legendary father to mark his birthday, ahead of the newest chapter of his Formula 1 career which sees him follow in the seven-time world champion's footsteps.
Michael Schumacher turned 54 on Tuesday on what was sure to be a celebratory but emotional day for his family. It was also only a few days after the ninth anniversary of the skiing accident which caused the extensive brain injury from which he is still recovering today.
Updates have been few and far between, with his wife Corinna preferring to keep details of his condition private. On occasion, a new snippet of information or a photograph will be released, which happened on his latest birthday as his son posted on social media.
"Happy birthday to the best Dad ever," wrote Mick, adding: "Love you!" after a heart emoji. Accompanying that was one photo of Michael smiling behind the wheel of a car and another of them together from several years ago, before the F1 legend's tragic accident.
That nice message came as Mick gears up for a new role in his own racing career. His time in F1 has not gone to plan, having been let go by Haas after two seasons – an outcome which left him without a race seat for the upcoming 2023 campaign.
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In the meantime, he has signed with Mercedes as a reserve driver, backing up Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. While it is not the racing role he would have wanted, by joining Mercedes, Mick has aligned himself with a team and a company which also had strong links with his father.
Michael came out of retirement in 2010 to race for the newly-formed Mercedes F1 team, helping the carmaker to establish itself within the sport. His work over that three-year spell helped to lay the groundwork for the extraordinary success the team has had in the last decade with Hamilton.
Even before the move was announced, team principal Toto Wolff spoke about how fitting it would be for the 23-year-old to follow in his father's footsteps. "Mick is someone that has always been close to our heart because of Michael or the whole Schumacher family," said the Austrian.
"[Mick] is an intelligent, well-mannered young man. He's been very successful in junior formulas. We believe that we can look after him if the situation were to happen and with someone that just fits the team. I think he deserves a place and now we have to see if we can do something."
Of course, the move was sealed and young Mick now proudly represents a team that his father helped to build and grow. Next on his to-do list is to work hard to secure a place back on the grid so he can go about his dream to join Michael on the list of F1 champions in the future.