Mick Schumacher: who is the F1 driver racing for in 2021 - and how is his father Michael now?

The Schumacher name is returning to Formula 1 for the 2021 season.

Race driver Mick Schumacher, son of seven-time world champion Michael, will begin his F1 debut year this weekend at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The eyes of the world will be on the 22-year-old rookie who has become accustomed to the public spotlight given his father’s connection to the sport.

But who will he be driving for, what was his route into F1 and how is his father now?

Who is Mick Schumacher racing for in 2021?

The young prospect signed a deal to race with US team, Haas, for the 2021 season.

A multi-year deal between the two parties was signed in December 2020 as Schumacher was on the verge of clinching a championship title in Formula 2.

He went on to claim that crown in his second F2 season with the Ferrari Academy, having won the Formula 3 European Championship in 2018.

And now Schumacher junior prepares to make his F1 bow with a Haas team who came ninth out of 10 in the 2020 constructor standings.

He will team up with fellow F2 racer Nikita Mazepin in an all-new Haas line-up, after Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen left the American outfit.

How is his father Michael Schumacher now?

Michael Schumacher retired from racing in 2012 and hasn’t made a public appearance since a life changing incident while skiing in France in 2013.

The former F1 champion sustained serious brain injuries in the accident, was airlifted to hospital and underwent two surgeries before being placed in a medically-induced coma.

He was in the coma for six months before returning to his home in Geneva, Switzerland, where he has been recovering since, though details have remained private.

A documentary titled Schumacher is being worked on but has been delayed in production due to the ongoing Covid pandemic. A release date is yet to be issued.

The documentary will feature Michael’s wife Corinna, father Rolf, daughter Gina-Maria and Mick.

What has Mick said about his father Michael?

Mick is the same age now as his dad, Michael, was when he made his F1 debut with team Jordan at the Belgian Grand Prix 30 years ago.

Upon sealing a place in the Ferrari driver academy, questions inevitably followed about him one-day driving for the same team his father won five of seven world titles.

“He’s my idol,” said Mick. “I’m following everything he did and trying to look at something I could use myself. He had a huge role in how I’m driving now. I’m really happy about that.”

In 2017, Mick drove the same car – the Benetton B194 - in which his father won the first of his seven F1 world championships, in an experience he described as “emotional”.

Who are the 2021 F1 drivers and teams?