Mick Schumacher to share Ferrari F1 reserve role with Giovinazzi in 2022
Ferrari has named Mick Schumacher as its Formula 1 reserve driver for 11 of next year’s 23 races, splitting the role with Antonio Giovinazzi.
Schumacher will enter his second season in 2022 with Haas, having graduated to F1 this year as a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy. The 2020 Formula 2 champion, he is the son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, who won five titles with Ferrari in the early 2000s.
While Schumacher will be racing full-time for Haas, he will act as Ferrari's reserve for 11 races next season. It means he would switch teams should full-time Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc or Carlos Sainz be unavailable, as agreed with Haas.
"It will be his second season next year, he is a Ferrari driver, coming from the Ferrari academy," said Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto. "I'm very happy that he can be part of the team as a reserve driver whenever that will be necessary, but hopefully not."
For the remaining 12 races, Giovinazzi will continue to serve as Ferrari's reserve driver, having been on a similar deal to Schumacher through 2021. Giovinazzi lost his seat at Alfa Romeo at the end of this season, and has since moved into Formula E, where he will race for Dragon.
Binotto confirmed that Giovinazzi would also be available for Ferrari customer teams Alfa Romeo and Haas next year if either required a reserve driver.
Antonio Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo Racing C41
Photo by: Alfa Romeo
Schumacher failed to score any points in his rookie F1 season with the backmarker Haas squad, but Binotto was impressed by his rate of development and progression through the year.
"The reason we've got a Ferrari Driver Academy is to identify who can be the Ferrari driver for the future, and part of it is if you are doing well, no doubt that you might have opportunities," said Binotto.
"I think Mick through the season did well. He improved himself, not only in terms of consistency, but also in terms of speed.
"If I look at the last races, he was a lot closer to the cars ahead, while Haas didn't really develop the car at all. So the fact that he was closer is he proved that he had a good improvement on the speed itself."
Binotto felt it was also important to ensure that at least one of Ferrari's reserve drivers for next year had experience with the new-style cars planned for 2022.
"Those cars will be really a lot different to the current one for driving style, and I think it will be important to have one driver that knows those cars as a reserve driver," Binotto said. "I can still count on Antonio because he's a good driver, he has proved to be a good driver.
"Antonio will have a full programme of simulator to bring him up to speed in terms of 2022 driving style."
Related video
Honda: Verstappen F1 title reward for belief in its engine technology
Horner to remain as Red Bull F1 team principal until at least 2026
HPD boss "amazed" by GTP reliability in Rolex 24 at Daytona
The boss of Honda Performance Developments has expressed his amazement at the high levels of reliability demonstrated by the all-new GTP prototypes in last weekend's Rolex 24 at Daytona.
How MSR took Acura to the first win of sportscar racing's new era
After much anticipation, the new dawn for sportscar racing got underway with a result that mirrored the pattern of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship's previous DPi era. Here's how Acura once again took top honours in the Rolex 24 at Daytona with a 1-2 led by Meyer Shank Racing.
Why WTR Acura lacked pace to beat MSR in Rolex 24 showdown
Wayne Taylor Racing's Filipe Albuquerque admits that he knew it would be a tall order to beat the sister Acura of Meyer Shank Racing in the closing stages of last weekend's Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Porsche aims to “learn quick” from Daytona disappointment
Porsche’s director of factory racing Urs Kuratle says his team will gain valuable answers from its disappointing results in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona.
Who were the fastest drivers in F1 2022?
Who was the fastest driver in 2022? Everyone has an opinion, but what does the stopwatch say? Obviously, differing car performance has an effect on ultimate laptime – but it’s the relative speed of each car/driver package that’s fascinating and enlightening says ALEX KALINAUCKAS
Nico Hulkenberg: Why F1's nearly man is refreshed and ready for his return
He has more starts without a podium than anyone else in Formula 1 world championship history, but Nico Hulkenberg is back for one more shot with Haas. After spending three years on the sidelines, the revitalised German is aiming to prove to his new team what the F1 grid has been missing.
Why Vasseur relishes 'feeling the pressure' as Ferrari's F1 boss
OPINION: Fred Vasseur has spent only a few weeks as team principal for the Ferrari Formula 1 team, but is already intent on taking the Scuderia back to the very top. And despite it being arguably the most demanding job in motorsport, the Frenchman is relishing the challenge
The crucial tech changes F1 teams must adapt to in 2023
Changes to the regulations for season two of Formula 1's ground-effects era aim to smooth out last year’s troubles and shut down loopholes. But what areas have been targeted, and what impact will this have?
Are these the 50 quickest drivers in F1 history?
Who are the quickest drivers in Formula 1 history? Luke Smith asked a jury of experienced and international panel of experts and F1 insiders. Some of them have worked closely with F1’s fastest-ever drivers – so who better to vote on our all-time top 50? We’re talking all-out speed here rather than size of trophy cabinet, so the results may surprise you…
One easy way the FIA could instantly improve F1
OPINION: During what is traditionally a very quiet time of year in the Formula 1 news cycle, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been generating headlines. He’s been commenting on massive topics in a championship that loves them, but also addressing necessary smaller changes too. Here we suggest a further refinement that would be a big boon to fans
How can McLaren keep hold of Norris?
Lando Norris is no longer the young cheeky-chappy at McLaren; he’s now the established ace. And F1's big guns will come calling if the team can’t give him a competitive car. Here's what the team needs to do to retain its prize asset
What difference did F1's fastest pitstops of 2022 make?
While a quick pitstop can make all the difference to the outcome of a Formula 1 race, most team managers say consistency is more important than pure speed. MATT KEW analyses the fastest pitstops from last season to see which ones – if any – made a genuine impact
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.