Mick Schumacher had an experience to remember last weekend as he took his mum Corinna out for a spin in a race car for the first time.
Young Schumacher was in northern Sweden, representing his country at the 2023 Race of Champions event. His mother Corinna also made the journey to support her son, and they even had time to finally take to a race track together.
Primarily racing in single-seaters throughout his career, Mick has rarely had the chance to invite someone for a ride-along. But, as the Race of Champions sees competitors take part in several different vehicles, the opportunity presented itself on the snow and ice track at Pite Havsbad.
So they enjoyed a few laps around the circuit in between the competitive action. Mick later posted a photo of himself and his mum in the car together, and explained what the experience meant to him in an interview with Sport1.
"It was the first time we did it," said the Mercedes F1 reserve driver. "I first took her out onto the ice in the Porsche so that she could have this experience, then we also drove the rallycross car.
"I think she really enjoyed it. It was a good day, she got to see what I do to make money. It gave her a better understanding of how a weekend like this works and it was nice to be able to take her with us. It's not that easy in a Formula 1 car. I think she had a lot of fun doing it and also saw what I can do."
Mick teamed up with Sebastian Vettel to represent Team Germany, reaching the semi-finals of the Nations Cup – a competition won by his dad Michael six times in a row with Vettel between 2007 and 2012. The 23-year-old impressed in the Race of Champions itself, starting in the preliminary round and making it all the way to the final where he lost to former rallycross champion Mattias Ekstrom.
The Swede reacted to his victory by paying a touching tribute to the seven-time world champion, as he stood next to Mick after the final. "I had two finals against Michael when I was here, and it was very emotional to race against Mick," said Ekstrom.
"I know Michael so well, we had so many great battles. I had so many special moments with Michael and I am sure [Mick's] time is ahead of him." Mick looked emotional as he replied: "Congratulations to Mattias, he is an exceptional driver. I'm super proud of him and thankful for the kind words."
