Mick Schumacher and Callum Ilott set to make F1 weekend debuts

Mick Schumacher and Callum Ilott set to make Formula 1 debuts with Alfa Romeo and Haas in the next race weekend.

F2 drivers Mick Schumacher and Callum Ilott are set to make their Formula 1 debuts on next race weekend as both will drive in the first practice at the Eifel Grand Prix on 9 October.

While Schumacher will drive for Alfa Romeo, Illot will handle Haas, both are Ferrari-affiliated customer teams. Meanwhile, it has also been reported that Robert Shwartzman will drive at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Though the team he will drive for is not yet revealed. It has been constantly reported that one of these three drivers are likely to get promoted in F1 next season.

In preparation for their F1 weekend debuts, all three drivers will test at Ferrari’s Fiorano test track on Wednesday in a 2018 F1 car.

Schumacher said: “I am overjoyed to get this chance in free practice. The fact that my first participation in a Formula 1 weekend will take place in front of my home audience at the Nurburgring makes this moment even more special.

“For the next 10 days, I’m going to prepare myself well, so that I can do the best possible job for the team and gain some valuable data for the weekend.”

Ilott described the test as “a real privilege”, adding: “It’s amazing to have this chance at a track that is one of my favourites – it was where I scored the first podium of my career back in 2015.”

Ferrari sporting director Laurent Mekies, who is also the director of the Ferrari driver academy, said: “We wanted to organise this test session so that our three best youngsters would be as well prepared as possible to tackle an event that will always be a special moment for them.

“It will be a chance to get to grips with a Formula 1 car, which is much more complicated than the car they are currently used to driving.”

Mick Schumacher set to be in F1 next season

Schumacher has been highly impressive in this season of Formula 2 as he has consistently been delivering results, including the exceptional performance in Russia.

The German driver is currently leading the chart of Formula 2 championship with a huge gap.

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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