Mick Schumacher's demeanour changes the moment I pick up on one of his answers to my question. I asked him how he likes to spend his free time and among the usual responses of being in the gym and cycling, there was one extracurricular activity that caught my attention. “I also like skydiving,” he says rather casually as we chat during the Canadian Grand Prix.
Schumacher has underplayed the term “like” as he goes on to explain how much jumping out of a plane has formed part of his life.
The former Haas driver, who remains hopeful of returning to Formula 1, tells Autosport excitedly about his hobby: “My first skydive, if I remember right, I was eight or nine years old. It was obviously a tandem jump. Basically going up, I did not really like it so much, and then my sister did it and I was like 'damn, if my sister could do it, now I have to do it'.
“So I jumped out with my eyes closed, but I loved it so much I went back up again straight away.
“When I was old enough, I went out on my own, that was when I was 16. I have 1,600 jumps now and have a licence.”
Schumacher says his adrenaline-fuelled pastime, which is also enjoyed by Lewis Hamilton and the two have skydived together, also allows him to improve his training as a racing driver.
He explains: “It is not only an opportunity for me to get to know my body better, you have this ordination of feet, hands, body, head and eyes, and what they do. It gives you an idea of what to do when racing but it also gives you knowledge about weather and winds.
“Sometimes you might get pushed into a peculiar position so you have to act quickly, that I knew how to do from racing but it helps to emphasise it time and again, especially when you have no security around you like in a race car. I love doing it because it was something I shared with my dad.”
After a frustrating stint at Haas, Schumacher now finds himself as a reserve driver for Mercedes and competing in the World Endurance Championship with Alpine.
His performance at this year's Le Mans 24 Hours was cut short as both Alpine hypercars suffered engine problems after just six hours and were both forced to retire. Nonetheless, he says his experience with another team and racing in the WEC is allowing him to become a more-rounded driver.
He hopes that his time with Alpine and working with Mercedes will allow him to find a route to return to F1 after just two seasons at the back of the grid with Haas, where he did not have the chance to impress.
Citing that he has a lot still to prove and a desire to silence his critics, he added: “Working with Alpine is an opportunity for a team on the F1 grid to get to know me better. It allows me to be a more rounded driver and try different disciplines because it could give me [a better chance], even if it is an extra 1%. It could help me.
“Someone with my background now, I would be able to bring value to a team. You have to go through tough times to prove what you are made of, but I can walk into the paddock and still have a smile and be motivated.
“I will continue trying until I succeed and I don't see any reason to give up. My focus is to get back to F1, that has been my dream since childhood and I will not give up on it.
“I still have a lot to prove. A lot of people who know me have seen it in the junior categories, but then those who only know me at Haas have not seen it. There is a lot I want to prove wrong for judging me.
“I don't think I need to go out and hand in a CV, people have seen what I have done. But what is not known is how I work internally, because that is kept behind shut doors.
“If people knew how hard I was working, it would make their mind up in a different way.”
