Michael Schumacher's Son, Mick, Joins Formula 4 Team Van Amersfoort Racing

Mick Schumacher, the son of legendary Formula One driver Michael, has agreed on a deal to drive for Van Amersfoort Racing in the upcoming Formula Four series.

As BBC Sport noted, the 15-year-old finished second in the German Kart Championship last season and has subsequently been selected to take part in the upcoming campaign, home to the sport's most promising young drivers. He'll get his F4 career underway beginning on April 25.

IMRE FOELDI/Associated Press

Frits van Amersfoort, owner of the Dutch racing team, explained why they selected the youngster for the upcoming campaign, per PaddockScout.com (h/t Tony DiZinno of NBC Sports):

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In the last couple of years, it has become a tradition for us that we offer the runner-up from the German junior karting championship (DJKM) a test session in our simulator.

This is handled by the DMSB, the German motorsport authority, and that is how we first got in touch with Mick Schumacher last autumn. He spent a full day in the simulator at our headquarters in The Netherlands. Then we witnessed him during a test session at Valencia and eventually, we reached an agreement to compete together in this year's ADAC Formula 4 series.

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Mick's father, Michael, was the most successful driver in the history of the sport, winning seven world titles in a distinguished career.

At the moment, the elder Schumacher is continuing his recovery from a skiing accident that occurred in December 2013. No official updates on his condition have been released since September of last year.

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While it would be easy to fast-track the 15-year-old because of the gravitas his name commands, he clearly has the talent to make an impression at this level, as his successes to date suggest.

There will naturally be enormous expectations on him to follow in his father's footsteps, but making the step up from karts to cars represents a crucial time in the development of any young driver. Nonetheless, his involvement will likely ensure F4 and the burgeoning talent in the division will get a lot more coverage than it otherwise would.