Mick Schumacher would normally be long into his second Formula Two season but instead he is training his neck at his Swiss home with the help of a rubber band and a tree. A strong neck is vital for success in motorsport because of the intense centrifugal forces the drivers face in their high-speed activities.
Schumacher, 21, wants to be fit when the season can start from the long delay caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and shows his training on Instagram.
“Normally I travel a lot, you can hardly train on a regular basis. But if you have to stay at home you can you through your routine every day,” he told DPA.
A strict diet is also part of the preparations for the son of record seven-times Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher who is in the Ferrari young drivers academy.
Formula One is where the German ultimately wants to drive, and Formula One also appears the key for his F2 season which has seen nothing but some tests in Bahrain in March — with the cars only returned recently.
F1 and F2 share race weekends, and he could get going now that the Austrian health ministry has approved an F1 season start with a July 5 and 12 double-header at the Spielberg course, behind closed doors and under strict hygiene and safety guidelines. Schumacher’s Italian Prema team would drive some 650 kilometres from Milan to the circuit. If they are also allowed to compete in Budapest the team would then drive on over the 400km to Hungary.
While that appears feasible trouble starts when it comes to races further away, such as the British Grand Prix in Silverstone, and especially overseas.
While the three of the 10 F1 teams not based in Britain, led by Ferrari, would charter flights for their personnel, and all teams for overseas races, F2 is not in the same position due to money and much less personnel.
“We wouldn’t be able to fill the plane,” a Prema spokeswoman said, adding she still hopes “that everything will go well” in these difficult times.
Praised as “the man with the most famous name in motorsport” in his biography on the F2 website, Mick Schumacher wanted to take the next step in his second season in the series. He joined in 2019 in the wake of a 2018 European F3 trophy with eight wins from the last 15 races, placing 12th in the final standings with one win in Budapest which was also his only podium.
More success is desired when and if at all the 2020 season starts — and a strong neck will only help.
Mick Schumacher wants to be fit when the season can start from the long delay caused by the coronavirus pandemic. (Reuters)
