Schumacher reveals Spa 1991 tribute helmet to his father
Mick Schumacher has revealed his special tribute helmet for the Belgian Grand Prix, using the same design his father made his Formula 1 debut with at Spa 30 years ago.
Schumacher followed in the footsteps of his seven-time world champion father, Michael, by stepping up to F1 this year with Haas after winning last year’s Formula 2 title.
On Wednesday, it was the 30th anniversary of Schumacher’s famous F1 debut at Spa, when he starred as a late replacement for Bertrand Gachot at Jordan.
PLUS: The half-truths and deal-making behind Schumacher’s first F1 racer
Schumacher qualified seventh and ran as high as fifth on the opening lap before being forced to retire, but his performance did enough to prompt Benetton to sign him for the next race in Italy, marking the start of his famous F1 story.
To celebrate the 30th anniversary, Schumacher Jr has opted to race this weekend with the same helmet design that his father used for his debut.
Photo by: Haas F1 Team
The design features the colours of the German flag and a retro “M. Schumacher” name tag on the side, as well as the white stars on a blue background on the top of the helmet.
Schumacher said on Thursday that Spa was a special circuit for him because of its links to his father, but also because of his own success at the circuit in junior categories.
“Nonetheless because of the history of my dad, but also I've had few good races here,” Schumacher said.
“[I scored] my first pole position and my first race win in 2018 here with F3, which then became a streak of a multiple race wins, so definitely yeah, it's a track that I enjoy a lot.
“I enjoy coming back here. It's close to home. A lot of fans come here and people that support me from numerous years now, so it's a great place.”
PLUS: How Schumacher’s trust made F1 engineering fun
Schumacher is not the only driver racing with a special one-off helmet this weekend.
AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda will be racing with a tribute design to the late Anthoine Hubert, incorporating his star logo, while Max Verstappen has his traditional orange helmet for one of his two home races.
Photo by: Haas F1 Team
Related video
Previous article
Norris: I’ve had an "almost perfect" first half of the F1 season
Next article
11 F1 drivers take third and final power unit of the season at Belgian GP
The squandered potential of a 70s F1 underdog
A podium finisher in its first outing but then never again, the BRM P201 was a classic case of an opportunity squandered by disorganisation and complacency, says STUART CODLING
The other notable Monza escape that F1 should learn from
OPINION: The headlines were dominated by the Italian Grand Prix crash between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, who had the halo to thank for avoiding potentially serious injury. But two days earlier, Formula 1 had a lucky escape with a Monza pitlane incident that could also have had grave consequences
How Monza only added more questions to F1's sprint race conundrum
With two sprint races under its belt, Formula 1 must now consider its options for them going forward. While they've helped deliver exciting racing on Sundays, the sprints themselves have been somewhat lacking - creating yet another conundrum for F1 to solve...
Who should Alfa Romeo sign for 2022's F1 season?
OPINION: With Valtteri Bottas already signed up for 2022, all eyes are on the race for the second seat at Alfa Romeo next year. Antonio Giovinazzi is the current incumbent, but faces a tough competition from appealing short and long-term prospects
The "forced break" that was key to Ricciardo's Monza excellence
OPINION: Daniel Ricciardo has long been considered one of Formula 1’s elite drivers. But his struggles at McLaren since switching from Renault for 2021 have been painful to watch at times. Yet he’s recovered to banish those memories with a famous Monza win – built on a critically important foundation
How Verstappen is ruining his F1 title battle with Hamilton
OPINION: The Italian GP clash between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen followed a running theme in the 2021 Formula 1 title fight. Their close-quarters battles have often resulted in contact - and although Hamilton has shown a willingness to back off, Verstappen must learn to temper his aggression
Italian Grand Prix Driver Ratings
Two drivers produced maximum-score performances as, for the second year in a row, Monza threw up an unpredictable result that left several others ruing what might have been
Why Ricciardo was set for Monza F1 triumph even without Verstappen/Hamilton crash
The clash between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton was the major flashpoint the 2021 Italian Grand Prix will be remembered for. Yet by this point, race leader Daniel Ricciardo had already done the hard work that would put him in position to end his and McLaren's lengthy win droughts, on a memorable afternoon in Monza
