Schumacher to test for Sauber or Haas this year?

Schumacher, the reigning European Formula 3 Champion, will step up to Formula 2 in 2019 with Prema which will see him perform in front of the F1 world for most of the season.

Should he join the Ferrari Driver Academy (FDA) - which has still to be confirmed - he will follow the path of Maranello bound Charles Leclerc who did eight sessions with Sauber and Haas a year before his stellar rookie season last year.

Traditionally Ferrari powered teams, Sauber and Haas, have bartered FP1 session for Ferrari juniors including Leclerc and Sauber bound Antonio Giovinazzi.

Should Schumacher junior opt for the FDA he would follow a similar route which would mean track time with Haas or Sauber during the course of the season. The option to do duty for Ferrari during those days is also on the cards.

There is a strong lobby not to rush the 19-year-old, thus if FP1 sessions are not an option, the Young Driver Tests slated for after the Bahrain Grand Prix and again after the Spanish Grand Prix would provide an ideal opportunity to test the youngster.

Current drivers in the FDA listed on the team's website are: Guan Yu Zhou, Charles Leclerc, Giuliano Alesi, Antonio Fuoco, Enzo Fittipaldi, Callum Ilott, Gianluca Petecof and Robert Shwartzman.

Hinwill and Maranello have enjoyed a long and close association, at one point in 1997, Michael Schumacher tested the team's car at Fiorano, while Felipe Massa broke onto the scene with the Swiss outfit ahead of his Ferrari stint.

Before Schumi senior broke onto the Formula 1 stage he was a driver for the Sauber run Mercedes sportscar team, along with Karl Wendlinger and Heinz-Harald Frentzen as teammates.

Haas and Ferrari also have strong ties across the board since the American team entered the sport and have previously given FP1 and test runs to Giovinazzi and Leclerc on behalf of the Scuderia.

https://www.grandprix247.com/2017/01/13/ferrari-the-red-carpet-is-ready-for-mick-schumacher/