Will Ferrari unroll the red carpet for Mick Schumacher?

Ferrari says it would welcome the opportunity to include Mick Schumacher in its young driver academy programme as its admits to be impressed by what the young charger has shown to date.

The 17-year-old son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher has drawn a lot of interest since he kick-started his career in the Formula 4 series, and Mercedes is also reported to be lurking in the wings.

Mick will be moving up to the European Formula 3 championship as he continues he progress up the racing ladder with the Prema Powerteam outfit which secured the F3 title in 2016 with Williams rookie Lance Stroll.

Bernie wants the Schumacher name back in F1

Massimo Rivola, the Ferrari Driver Academy manager would gladly unroll the red carpet for Mick Schumacher.

"Obviously we follow him," Rivola told Gazzetta dello Sport.

"And this year we will have the opportunity to stay very close to Mick, because he will be team-mate of our FDA driver [Guan Yu] Zhou in the Prema team.

"About his future, I don't know what Mick will decide to do. But if he would like to enter the FDA programme, he will find a red carpet."

While impresseed by Schumacher's on-track performance, Rivola admitted that he was also impressed by the young man's attitude and demeanour.

"Mick seems very polite and he's not full of himself. So congratulations to his parents. They did a very good job with him.

"He's very young, and he must manage a very huge media pressure. But he is doing it very well."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.