Schumacher happy spectators will watch F1 debut

Mick Schumacher says he is glad to be making his official F1 race weekend debut in front of German spectators next Friday.

The Nurburgring was given local approval to sell tickets to 20,000 spectators per day.

“I am definitely looking forward to the Nurburgring,” Schumacher, whose father Michael is a local hero, said ahead of his Friday practice debut for Alfa Romeo.

“I am also so pleased that the fans will be there,” the 21-year-old German added.

With Ferrari’s full backing, it is expected that Schumacher will then make his full race debut for the same Swiss-based team next year.

“He is extremely important for Formula 1, a sport that lives on myths,” remarked the Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport.

Schumacher is expected to replace fellow Ferrari junior Antonio Giovinazzi and become Kimi Raikkonen’s teammate.

“There is no news from me yet,” Italian Giovinazzi is quoted by Italy’s Autosprint. “I just have to keep pushing hard and see what happens.”

Nurburgring boss Mirco Markfort says Schumacher’s Friday debut is great news for the circuit’s ticket-selling process.

“We are almost sold out in the second advanced booking phase,” he told Sport1. “There has been constant activity on the website.”

For F1’s 2020 round at Imola, approval has now been given for just over 13,000 spectators per day.

The Nurburgring’s Markfort defended European jurisdictions who are opening up events like Formula 1 to spectators, even as corona case numbers rise.

“We have a tried and tested health concept and we have been able to prove it to the authorities,” he said.

“The event industry has been badly affected in the last few months, which is a shame because not only us but also the stadium operators know what we are doing.”