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(Reuters) – An ‘overwhelmed’ Mick Schumacher graduated from Formula One on Sunday as the 2020 Formula Two champion despite failing to score in his last race before joining the US Haas F1 team.
The 21-year-old son of seven-time world champion and great Ferrari, Michael, was ranked 18th in a sprint race won by Indian driver Jehan Daruvala, while his only title rival, Callum Ilott, finished 10th with just the top eight scoring.
Schumacher signed with 215 points, 14 ahead of Britain’s Ilott, with Yuki Tsunoda of Japan, now expected to move up to Formula One with Red Bull’s AlphaTauri team with Honda, one point behind.
Tire damage forced the German into the pits after 15 laps, sending him to the back of the field.
“It would feel or sound much better if he had a good race today,” Schumacher said of the title, achieved with two wins and no poles but with a lot of consistency. “However, we did enough.
“To be honest, I’m a bit overwhelmed,” he added. “I don’t really understand or feel like a champion yet. Maybe it will take a few days.
“We pitted, we couldn’t get back to the front but nevertheless today we are champions and that is what people will remember. Today they will forget about this race and they will only see the good times of this year, and me too.”
Michael Schumacher retired in 2012 after a three-year comeback with Mercedes and has not been seen in public since sustaining serious head injuries in a ski accident in the French Alps in 2013.
Mick was the 2018 F3 European Champion and joins Charles Leclerc and George Russell, now with Ferrari and Williams respectively, as recent F2 champions who have moved up to F1. The series was previously known as GP2.
A Ferrari Academy driver, Schumacher was announced by Ferrari-powered Haas last Wednesday as one of their 2021 racing drivers alongside Russia’s Nikita Mazepin.
He will bring considerable support to Formula One as the son of one of the greatest drivers of all time.
The German already has 1.3 million followers on Instagram and more than 180,000 on Twitter and can count on strong commercial support.
According to Nielsen Sports, the majority of Schumacher’s fans are Italian and Germany accounts for only 10% of the followers.
“The addition of Mick Schumacher will increase Haas’ global business viability,” said Nielsen Sports Senior Vice President of Worldwide Motorsports Nigel Geach.
“We hope that the appetite for sponsorship is substantial. There is a real incentive for his father’s former sponsors to get involved, as well as interest from new parties.”
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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