Mich Schumcher wins F2 title
Sakhir, 6 December 2020 – Mick Schumacher has won the 2020 Formula 2 title in his second year in the series. In today’s final race of the season, the 21-year-old Ferrari Driver Academy student failed to score points, finishing 18th, but as his only rival and Academy colleague Callum Ilott also finished outside the points in tenth, the Prema team driver won by the existing margin of 14 points. The race took place on the Outer Track at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Academy success. It was a memorable season for the FDA with three of its students finishing in the top four of the championship. Reigning Formula 3 champion Robert Shwartzman also had a great season, managing to win four races in his debut season, more than any other driver, soon establishing himself as a front runner in the Formula 1 feeder series. The other two FDA drivers, Marcus Armstrong and Giuliano Alesi had a very good start to the season, but it tailed off towards the end. FDA drivers took 9 wins in Formula 2, 24 podiums (an average of one a race), five pole positions and four fastest race laps, with 61 points finishes.
The race. Mick started from third and got alongside Dan Ticktum (DAMS) and Jehan Daruvala (Carlin) ahead of Callum in the UNI-Virtuosi Racing number 4 car. On the first lap, Schumacher locked up his wheels braking for turn 4, but kept going and then overtook Daruvala a few laps later. But the Indian driver fought back and retook the place and Mick wisely did not respond. On lap 19, the German began to struggle with his tyres and Ilott got ahead, as did Prema team-mate Robert Shwartzman and Guan-Yu Zhou (UNI-Virtuosi Racing). The team called Mick in to change tyres and give him a shot at setting the fastest race lap. That’s just what he did, getting a step closer to the title because at that point, Ilott would have had to win the race to take the title. In the closing stages, the Englishman also struggled with his tyres and could only finish tenth. The win went to Daruvala, followed by Ticktum and Japan’s Yuki Tsunoda (Carlin). Shwartzman was fifth, one ahead of Giuliano Alesi (MP Motorsport). Marcus Armstrong (ART Grand Prix) finished outside the points.
For the record. Mick Schumacher who will race in Formula 1 next season with the Haas F1 Team, is the second FDA driver to win the Formula 2 championship after Charles Leclerc in 2017. He is the first German to do so, since the series went by the name of F2 in 2017. Six Germans have won the series in previous guises: when it was Formula 3000, Christian Danner (1985), Jörg Müller (1996) and Nick Heidfeld (1999); as GP2 Nico Rosberg (2005), Timo Glock (2007) and Nico Hülkenberg (2009).
Laurent Mekies, Sporting Director, Scuderia Ferrari: “It’s been a great season for the FDA drivers in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, with three drivers in the top four of the classification and a total of nine wins. Mick Schumacher is the second FDA driver to win the F1 feeder series, following on from Charles Leclerc in 2017. Mick progressed throughout the year, showing great consistency and demonstrating the ability to make the most of any situation. Callum Ilott was a more than worthy adversary right to the end. He was fantastic in qualifying, taking five poles, more than any other driver and he was also very quick in the races. It was great to see him and Mick fight it out wheel to wheel today in the early stages. There were no holds barred but it was entirely correct.
Robert Shwartzman finished fourth and in his rookie season, he won four races, more than any other driver. The other rookie, Marcus Armstrong had a more difficult time of it but he will be able to make the most of what he has learned. Less fortunate was Giuliano Alesi, but at least today he could take satisfaction from his second points finish of the year.
The FDA development programme continues to produce results for the Prancing Horse youngsters. Proof of that is the fact that Schumacher, Ilott and Shwartzman will all take part in the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi on 15 December. Mick has already secured a Formula 1 drive and we can’t wait to see him in the Haas F1 team next year. As for the other two, we believe it is only a matter of time.
Mick Schumacher: I am very happy to have won this title. I really wanted to come to Formula 1 as a champion and I’m very happy to have done so. Today’s race was pretty dramatic, because I flat-spotted my tyres on the opening lap and after that, I had to try and live with the situation. But on lap 19 I lost a few places and the team rightly chose to pit me to go onto the Softs. Unfortunately, that compound was not particularly quick today and so I couldn’t make up many places. I was kept informed on the radio about what was going on at the front and I knew other drivers were also struggling with their tyres. I want to thank the Prema team and the Ferrari Driver Academy for what has been an unforgettable season. We did not get the most race wins, but none of the others performed as consistently as us in bringing home points. I think that was the key factor that brought me the championship title.
