Schumacher patron of the Mercedes Junior Team
Mercedes relaunched its Junior Team this year and, logically, Michael Schumacher is the patron.
The Mercedes Junior Team is currently made up of three young drivers who dream of following in the footsteps of their predecessor. German Christian Vietoris, Spaniard Roberto Merhi, and Canadian Robert Wickens make up the 2012 class.
They will participate in the DTM championship (German touring car championship) behind the wheel of the new Mercedes AMG C-Class Coupe.
In his time, Michael was also part of the Mercedes Junior Team, alongside Karl Weldinger and Heinz Harald Frentzen. This experience visibly left him with only good memories: « I remember very well the early stages of my career and the time I gained thanks to my stint with the Mercedes Junior Team – both on and off the track. It taught me the best way to work with engineers and helped me build a professional relationship with the media. »
Norbert Haug shares the same opinion as his driver and appreciates the tradition of helping young drivers in the making: « Here at Mercedes, we have a tradition of supporting young drivers and promising talents, which dates back almost as far as the brand’s first racing cars. In 2012, we are sending three exceptionally talented drivers in their twenties into the DTM competition. All three are eager to make the most of this opportunity. »
Schumacher wants to invest in this project that has benefited him and will closely follow the progress of the young talents of 2012: « I am excited to see how Christian, Roberto, and Robert will evolve. I really enjoyed meeting them in Barcelona to offer some advice from my own experiences. Being selected as a member of the Mercedes-Benz Junior team is really something, and one can be proud of it. »
Here may be an interesting career path for the seven-time world champion once he has decided to hang up his helmet for good. He seems, in any case, to want to invest in this direction.
