Schumacher: Driving a Ferrari at Fiorano was very special

The 2020 Formula 2 champion was behind the wheel of the SF71H on Thursday, completing more than 50 laps on a day where Callum Ilott and Robert Schwartzmann also got behind the wheel.

It was the fifth time that Schumacher had driven a Ferrari and he said he is doing everything he can to prepare for his F1 debut.

“It’s been a lifelong dream for me to be in F1 and now I finally got the chance and therefore I will do everything I can to be as prepared as I can to start the season on a high,” he said.

“There’s no such thing as like a special training or special preparation you can do,” he added. “It is very, very much similar to all the years that you have done before.

“For me especially I’ve been focussing on my neck training because that is obviously the one part that we use the most in Formula 1. The G-forces, that’s something you just learn by driving the car and obviously doing those laps. That’s when your body gets really fine-tuned onto a Formula 1 car.

“So definitely just train my neck, that was my goal this year.”

Thursday was the first time Schumacher had driven the Fiorano circuit and the 21-year-old said that knowing how many laps his father, Michael, completed there made it "very special".

“It’s one of the most special places to come to see a racing car drive because you’re so close to it,” he said. “And now for myself actually being driving it here on my own, it’s very special, obviously, knowing how many laps and how many days my dad has spent here in the past.

“It’s great to come here and do kind of the same, even though we’re not allowed to do as many days as back in the day. But still, it’s so special to be here.”