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| Mick Schumacher has won on his first weekend of German Formula 4. Schumacher, the son of seven-time Formula One champion Michael, finished ninth on his German ADAC F4 debut on Saturday, before crossing 12th in the second race of the weekend on Sunday. For the third and final race at Oschersleben Schumacher lined up second on the reserve grid and quickly moved into the lead. The Van Amersfoort Racing driver had to fend off a late charge from Australian Joseph Mawson after a period behind the safety car but held his nerve to finish with an advantage of half a second, clinching the first win of his single-seater career. The 16-year-old is fifth in the championship with 27 points after the first three races, but leads the rookie championship. Team-mate Harrison Newey, son of Red Bull design guru Adrian, is 12th in the standings after the opening weekend. Mick's father Michael, the most successful driver in the history of F1, continues to recover from the head injuries he suffered in a skiing accident in December 2013 and is currently undergoing private medical care at the family home in Switzerland. |
| There were almost four times more than the usual number of camera crews at the race and 200 journalists were accredited, a quarter more than last year. They and the much larger than expected crowds were all here to see Mick in his first proper motor race, a Formula 4 sprint that would last 30 minutes. Finding his garage in the paddock was not hard. Mick drives for Van Amersfoort Racing, a Dutch squad who were suddenly the very centre of attention. An hour before the race the throng there was five deep, two TV crews had set up camp, while fans admitted it was the Schumacher factor that had them hopefully peering into what was, effectively, a tent with three cars in it. Of Mick, however, there was no sign, which is in keeping with how he has conducted his career thus far. Now 16 years old, he began racing in karts when he was nine and entered serious championships three years later, all under the moniker Mick Betsch, the maiden name of his mother, Corinna, in order not to attract unwanted attention. In 2014, “Bestch” became “Mick Junior” as his career accelerated and it was clear he was fooling no one. |
| All times are GMT +5.5. The time now is 11:56. |