“This was the step we had to take for the time being”- Mick’s cousin David Schumacher unable to land an F2 seat due to lack of funding

David Schumacher was unable to land himself an Formula 2 seat due to lack of funding and will compete in DTM instead.

Motorsport isn’t cheap, as everyone has insisted several times. To climb up the ladder, one needs to have immense financial backing, often in the form of sponsor money.

Over the years, we’ve seen several talented drivers in junior levels not make to F1 due to lack of money. The latest victim of this could be David Schumacher. He’s the son of former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher and cousin of Mick, who himself reached F1 in 2021.

David Schumacher spent two years in Formula 3 and hoped to make the step up to F2 in 2022. However, as he Motorsport Total reported, the German lacks the resources to make the step up.

Schumacher, who finished 11th in last year’s F3 Championship will drive for Mercedes in the renowned DTM series. It has featured huge racing stars in the past, so the 20-year old does not necessarily see it as a step down. However, he hopes he can make it to F2 for the next season.

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Ralf Schumacher explains the reason behind his son’s lack of funding

Ralf Schumacher revealed that he himself had funded most of his son’s junior career up till F3. However, the amount of money required to land a full-time F2 seat was simply too much.

They need time to gather sponsors that will help David Schumacher get there, but for the time being, they will stick to DTM.

“We had two or three small supporters,” he said. “But until now I basically paid for everything. And now there was nothing to be found, Formula 2 doesn’t stand out strongly enough as a format.”

“Still, I had hoped that there would be more interest from David. It would certainly have worked well in synergy with Mick.”

Also read: Ralf Schumacher believes Ferrari has already chosen its leader in Charles Leclerc as it did in Michael Schumacher

The finances required for Schumacher’s junior career up until now

Ralf Schumacher gave an insight into just how much it costs to rise up the ranks in motorsport. It’s sometimes unfathomable, as to how much an individual and his/her entourage has to spend to keep their Formula 1 dreams alive. In most cases, the dreams remain unfulfilled despite spending all that money.

“You spend about 10 years in karting, averaging 150,000/200,000 euros. Then I’m at two million,” the former Williams driver explained.

“Then comes Formula 4, which is also another two years. If I run Formula 4 properly, then I’m at around 450,000 euros per season. Then we’re already at 2.9 million.”

David Schumacher will be hoping to keep his dreams alive, and follow in the footsteps of his cousin Mick, father Ralf and his legendary uncle and seven-time World Champion, Michael Schumacher.