Mick Schumacher relishing Formula 2 restart after COVID-19 lockdown

Reuters Videos
Updated

VIDEO SHOWS: INTERVIEW WITH FORMULA 2 DRIVER MICK SCHUMACHER, THE SON OF MICHAEL SCHUMACHER AHEAD OF THE NEW SEASON FOLLOWING THE DISRUPTION CAUSED BY THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: GRISIGNANO DI ZOCCO, ITALY (JULY 1, 2020) (PREMA RACING HANDOUT - FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY)

1. (SOUNDBITE) (German) PREMA RACING DRIVER, MICK SCHUMACHER, SAYING:

"I am happy to be back in the car now after three months. It has been almost four months since I did the first test in Bahrain. We learned a lot then and now, of course, we want to translate this into a good race this weekend."

2. WHITE FLASH

3. (SOUNDBITE) (German) PREMA RACING DRIVER, MICK SCHUMACHER, SAYING:

"The first test was four months ago. There has been a huge gap in between. I mostly spent my time training. I went cycling a lot, I did a lot of swimming, running a bit and then of course, I spent a lot of time in the gym. I did some driving in a simulator, and that helped me keep this mentality at a high level. I did neck workout consistently. That was one of the most important things for me. And then, of course, also used a little bit of the time to do other things, such as playing football."

4. WHITE FLASH

5. (SOUNDBITE) (German) PREMA RACING DRIVER, MICK SCHUMACHER, SAYING:

"The work that was done in Bahrain helped us a lot for the first race. Of course, we now know what we have to do to be quick. Of course, the route is still a bit new, a bit different, of course, to Bahrain. Bahrain is a track that is very hard for the tyres, but the Red Bull Ring is a lot better and allows you to drive with the tyres for longer. So, it will be very interesting to see how the first free practice develops. I'm definitely looking forward to it."

6. WHITE FLASH

7. (SOUNDBITE) (German) PREMA RACING DRIVER, MICK SCHUMACHER, SAYING:

"The route is a very fast one. We have a lot of fast corners and we have a very slow corner: the Hanel in corner three, where we have to move to second gear. It's the slowest curve we have. The rest we take in third, fourth, fifth gear. So everything pretty quick. And actually, there is very little tyre abrasion, which means that we can drive very hard and also push a little."

8. WHITE FLASH

9. (SOUNDBITE) (German) PREMA RACING DRIVER, MICK SCHUMACHER, SAYING:

"What do we need to be successful? I think in this case we will need to stay focused. Working well with a team, always having a good harmony and being constant, being constant whatever you do, how you approach the weekends and really make sure that everything is in the right place at the right time."

10. WHITE FLASH

11. (SOUNDBITE) (German) PREMA RACING DRIVER, MICK SCHUMACHER, SAYING:

"There will unfortunately not be any fans in Austria. It is the right thing, of course. The fans are the ones who are at risk in the end, all on top of each other if they were allowed to be there. Accordingly, it is safe to see how the situation is developing and see how things are going. Still, I would say watch it. It's going to be funny; it's going to be cool. I'm sure there will be very cool overtaking manoeuvres and there will be a lot of action."

STORY: Formula 2 driver Mick Schumacher says he knows what he has to do ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix season-opener at the weekend.

Schumacher, who finished 12th in F2 last season in his first year with Prema Racing, is a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy just like his father, Michael Schumacher, was.

The 2020 season was due to begin in March in Bahrain but was put on hold, like so many other sports, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both F2 and F3 were scheduled to start their 2020 campaigns at the Sakhir International Circuit on 20-22 March and Schumacher said the break had given him a lot of time to train ahead of the championship, adding he had even had time to play soccer during lockdown.

The F2 grid has five Ferrari young drivers this year. Next to Mick Schumacher is fellow FDA driver (and last year's F3 champion) Robert Shwartzman.

Marcus Armstrong, Giuliano Alesi and Callum Ilot make up the quintet.

(Production: Elena Gyldenkerne)