Mick Schumacher has received a special, signed helmet from Moto GP driver Fabio Quartararo.
Quartararo is a former MotoGP champion, who became the first French premier-class World Champion in history and the first Yamaha rider to lift the title since 2015 when he won in 2021. He is also the sixth-youngest rider (22 years and 187 days old) to clinch a premier-class world title.
Wearing a Roberto Locatelli replica helmet with a sticker of a devil on it in the past earned the Frenchman the nickname of 'El Diablo' — one that has stuck to him since.
Quartararo is not new to the world of F1, being good friends with the likes of Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, and Esteban Ocon.
Schumacher, on the other hand, is currently with the Mercedes F1 team, serving as their reserve driver for the 2023 Formula 1 campaign after spending two seasons with Haas as their driver.
Quartararo was in attendance at the Monaco Grand Prix last weekend, where he met Schumacher in the Mercedes garage and gifted him a helmet. The helmet even had a personal message for the German, which read:
"To Mick, enjoy riding brother! See you on the track."
Mick Schumacher opens up on life at Mercedes as Toto Wolff pinpoints when he could be back in F1
Mick Schumacher has opened up about his time at Mercedes alongside the team's drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
Speaking to the official F1 website about his role with the team, Schumacher said:
"I’ve learned a lot about what’s important in terms of approaching race weekends; I feel like I’ve already gained so much knowledge to add to my skillset. I didn’t think I would have learned and gained so much so early into my role."
He added:
"As a driver, you usually do not get to hear what is going on between all the engineers while you are out on the track, so listening in during the sessions has been extremely interesting. I was quite shocked at the season opener in Bahrain, I did not expect the sheer amount of exchange that happens."
The 24-year-old won't have to spend too much time away from the F1 grid, if Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is to be believed. The Austrian has been making efforts to get His reserve driver a seat, though he stated that it's more likely to see the German driving again only in 2025.
The Silver Arrows boss said (via Racing News 365):
"We [Mercedes] are closed and I would like for Mick to get a seat. He would also deserve that. But the situation for 2024 is so unfavorable. In 2025, a few doors open again."