The son of legendary Formula One driver Michael Schumacher has made a name for himself, earning his first victory in a Formula Four race over the weekend.
According to a report from Reuters, Mick Schumacher, who is competing for the Dutch-based Van Amersfoort Racing team, lined up in second position during the last of three races at Oschersleben in Germany. Although he is fifth overall in the championship, he ended in first place at the end of the 30-minute race behind Joey Mawson of Australia and fellow rookie Thomas Preining.
"All in all, I am pretty satisfied about how the race went," Schumacher said. "We had three safety car phases and [I had] pretty good restarts, so all in all I am quite happy about the race."
Reuters reported that the German Formula 4 championship, which is one of nine series around the world, follows similar regulations in Formula 1 and allows younger drivers like 16-year-old Schumacher to learn their craft in similar cars.
According to Sara Malm of the Daily Mail, it was the first time that Schumacher's son has competed under his father's name. When he previously competed in go-karting, he used his mother's maiden name, Corinna, to avoid media attention.
"It's quite tough for Mick to be treading in his father's footsteps," former Formula 1 driver and rival Gerhard Berger of Austria said.
Berger told Malm that he feared the boy's name could become a burden to him. However, he thought Schumacher's son has a bright future in the world of motor racing.
"I know him a bit and he's a good lad, with both feet on the ground and the racing bug within him," Berger said. "He grew up in this environment and it is his life. He's not in any danger of being imbalanced by it."
As for the health status of the elder Schumacher himself, Malm reported that he has been receiving intense therapy at his home in Lake Geneva, Switzerland. It is believed that his condition still remained extremely serious.
"Tents have been erected around his house so the media cannot photograph him in his wheelchair," Malm wrote.
Malm reported that Schumacher "fell and cracked his head on a boulder" during a skiing accident on the Meribel slopes in France back in December 2013. His son was present during the time of the accident.
"He emerged from his induced coma in June last year, and left hospital in September," Malm wrote.
