Eddie Jordan revealed the real reason why Mick Schumacher was given that name – and it has nothing to do with being a nod to his legendary Formula 1 racer father.
Mick has followed his seven-time world champion father Michael into the F1 world, making his debut for Haas in 2021 and racing for them for two seasons. He is currently without a team for 2023 and is a reserve for Mercedes while he plots his next move.
Given that his forename is a shortened version of Michael, it is easy to assume that Mick was named after his father. But Jordan – the former team boss who gave Schumacher Sr his F1 bow – has asserted that is not the case.
He told OLBG : "There's a little story that I'm happy to share, and that is that Mick Schumacher isn't named after his dad like a lot of people seem to think. Mick Schumacher is named after a person whose father, Michael, was in total awe of a sportsman who had won five world titles back to back with Honda.
"That is none other than Mick Doohan. As a result of that, and as a mark of respect, Michael Schumacher called his son Mick. There's a lot going on there and the respect is huge."
Jordan went on to talk about the fact Mick has dropped off the F1 grid so early in his career. Haas decided to replace him with the more experienced Nico Hulkenberg after a series of expensive crashes and not enough points finishes.
The 74-year-old reference Michael's ongoing health battle since his skiing accident as he added: "I was touched by it and the reason I was touched by it was because it can't be easy knowing that your father is not able to be part of the family – he's there but he's not there.
"I have my own view that I don't want to make public but my guess is that Mick showed elating compassion and the way he spoke about his father when the season was not going particularly well for him, he's been dropped for somebody else, and that's a tough decision.
"He has another fight to come back and to make his name, climb up that ladder again. I'm quite sure he will do it. Maybe it was the right thing that happened, but it touched me because I felt so much about Michael, I went out of my way to find him, give him his first chance in Spa, didn't last very long but that love for him still lasts and will always do so while I'm able to draw breaths."
