MARANELLO, Italy — Mick Schumacher is leaving Ferrari for another of the teams his father raced for — Mercedes.
Schumacher will become a reserve driver for 2023 at Mercedes behind Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
He had been racing in Formula One with Ferrari-powered Haas F1.
“I take this as a new start, and I am just excited and grateful to Toto (Wolff, Mercedes team principal) and everybody involved for putting their trust in me,” Schumacher said. “F1 is such a fascinating world, and you never stop learning, so I look forward to absorbing more knowledge and putting in all my efforts for the benefit of the Mercedes team.”
The move ends Schumacher’s four-year association with Ferrari, the team for which his father, Michael Schumacher, won five Formula One titles.
Michael also drove for Mercedes from 2010-12.
“Mick is a talented young driver and we’re delighted to have him join the team,” Wolff said. “We also know that with two years of experience racing in Formula One under his belt, he will be ready to step into the car at short notice to replace either Lewis or George, should that need arise.”
Willkommen, Mick. 👋 Say hello to our 2023 Reserve Driver, @SchumacherMick. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/iQWLhIE7Pr
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) December 15, 2022
The move came two days after Ferrari announced Frederic Vasseur as its new team principal, replacing Mattia Binotto.
“Scuderia Ferrari and Mick Schumacher have mutually decided not to extend their collaboration,” Ferrari said.
Schumacher, 23, joined Ferrari’s young driver program in 2019 and competed in Formula Two for two seasons with the Prema Racing team. He won three races and secured the 2020 title.
Mick Schumacher then made his Formula One debut with Haas and started 43 races but scored just 12 points. His top finishes came this year with sixth in the Austrian Grand Prix and eighth in the British GP. He was also Ferrari’s reserve driver.
“Scuderia Ferrari thanks Mick for these four years and the many kilometers covered together, and wishes him all the best for the future,” Ferrari said.
The Eldora Million returns in 2023, but this time it is available for sprint car drivers.
Eldora Speedway owner Tony Stewart announced an unsanctioned sprint car race will be held on July 12-13 with a total purse of $1.4 million and a little more than $1 million paid to the winner.
Last year, the speedway resurrected the Eldora Million for late models after a 21-year hiatus. Jonathan Davenport held off a late-race charge from Chris Madden and Tim McCreadie to win the $1,002,022 purse. This year, the prize has one dollar added to the payout in deference to it being held in 2023.
“All of us at Eldora are super excited to host the first million-dollar-to-win sprint car race,” said Stewart in a press release. “Back in 2003, Eldora hosted a non-wing race that paid $200,000 to winner Jac Haudenschild, but this will be the first time a sprint car driver will race for a winner’s check worth $1 million.
“This will showcase the best of the best, and you’re going to want to see how this race unfolds where in the final laps, with guys still in the hunt running close together, what they will do to win a million dollars.”
The 2023 Eldora Million falls between two World of Outlaw Sprint Car Series races also held in Ohio. The Brad Doty Classic will be held at Attica (Ohio) Raceway on July 11 and the Kings Royal is scheduled for July 14-15. Rules for that series include an exclusivity bonus for drivers that run no more than four races outside of the Outlaws. Drivers can run up to eight races and still be eligible for the points fund and its bonuses, but those races must be outside of 48 hours or a 100-mile radius on either side of a scheduled event.
Attica is 135 miles from Rossburg, where Eldora is located, but the Brad Doty Classic is only 24 hours removed. The World of Outlaws have not yet announced whether an exception will be made for this event.
In its history, Eldora Speedway has hosted 16 previous races with six-figure paydays including 12 Historic Big Ones and three Kings Royals that have paid that much. The Outlaws’ sanctioned 2023 Kings Royal will pay $175,000 to win.
“I think it’s been long overdue,” Stewart, who enters his 19th season as owner of Eldora, added. “We’ve had two, $1 million-to-win dirt late model races at Eldora, but to finally do it for the sprint car community is something that makes all of us at Eldora really proud. Sprint car drivers put on some of the best shows in all of racing and this is our way of saying thank you.”
The Eldora Million feature on Thursday will be seeded by preliminary races held on Wednesday. Drivers will be split into two groups with 12,000-to-win features.
“This format will offer an exciting, unique program of racing on Wednesday and Thursday for fans and competitors,” said Jerry Gappens, General Manager of Eldora. “Wednesday’s program is a ‘big bang for the buck’ for the fans with … twin 25-lap features. For competitors, it basically compresses two nights of preliminary action into one night and guarantees 48 different cars will race in a feature.”