Mick Schumacher’s demeanour changes the moment I pick up on one of his answers to my question. I asked him how he likes to spend his free time and among the usual responses of being in the gym and cycling, there was one extracurricular activity that caught my attention. “I also like skydiving,” he says rather casually as we chat during the Canadian Grand Prix.
Schumacher has underplayed the term “like” as he goes on to explain how much jumping out of a plane has formed part of his life.
The former Haas driver, who remains hopeful of returning to Formula 1, tells Motorsport.com excitedly about his hobby: “My first skydive, if I remember right, I was eight or nine years old. It was obviously a tandem jump. Basically going up, I did not really like it so much, and then my sister did it and I was like ‘damn, if my sister could do it, now I have to do it’.
“So I jumped out with my eyes closed, but I loved it so much I went back up again straight away.
“When I was old enough, I went out on my own, that was when I was 16. I have 1,600 jumps now and have a licence.”
Schumacher says his adrenaline-fuelled pastime, which is also enjoyed by Lewis Hamilton and the two have skydived together, also allows him to improve his training as a racing driver.
Mick Schumacher, Reserve Driver, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
He explains: “It is not only an opportunity for me to get to know my body better, you have this ordination of feet, hands, body, head and eyes, and what they do. It gives you an idea of what to do when racing but it also gives you knowledge about weather and winds.
“Sometimes you might get pushed into a peculiar position so you have to act quickly, that I knew how to do from racing but it helps to emphasise it time and again, especially when you have no security around you like in a race car. I love doing it because it was something I shared with my dad.”
After a frustrating stint at Haas, Schumacher now finds himself as a reserve driver for Mercedes and competing in the World Endurance Championship with Alpine.
His performance at this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours was cut short as both Alpine hypercars suffered engine problems after just six hours and were both forced to retire. Nonetheless, he says his experience with another team and racing in the WEC is allowing him to become a more rounded driver.
He hopes that his time with Alpine and working with Mercedes will allow him to find a route…
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