Ferrari convinced Mick Schumacher a "good candidate for F1 in the future"

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has backed Ferrari Driver Academy (FDA) driver Mick Schumacher to get a seat in Formula 1 in the near future, although the Italian did add 2021 would be too early for Ferrari to add new talent to their senior team.

After winning the Formula 3 title in 2018, Schumacher made the step up to F2 last year, where he raced at Prema. He won one race, the sprint race in Hungary, and had a decent season overall with a few stand-out performances.

Signing at the FDA at the start of 2019, Schumacher also took part of Formula 1 testing in Bahrain for both Ferrari and Alfa Romeo Racing. While it was a spine-tingling moment to see the Ferrari car being driven by a Schumacher for the first time in 13 years, Binotto insisted Mick is not just in the FDA because of his last name.

"That's it for the obvious love, not only because he is Michael Schumacher's son, but because I think he's a good driver, he actually performed well even in this season," the Italian previously told Autosport.

"If you look at the standings you can see some experienced drivers on top, but he had one good season to gain experience.

"And if you look in term of rookies, too, he was doing well. He was a rookie.

"So, I think that next season will be key for him to understand how much he's progressing.

"We are expecting much from the next year because he will have one season of experience and we are pretty sure he's a good candidate for F1 in the future."

Whether Schumacher's F1 career would ever take him to Ferrari is too early to tell for Binotto, who remains cautious when further predicting the future of the 20-year-old. Speaking generally, the Italian explained 2021 would be too soon for any new talent to be introduced to the senior team.

"2021 will be too early for one of our young talents, too," the 50-year-old Binotto continued.

"In 2021 some experience from drivers will be important because it's a completely new type of car."

Schumacher also did a demonstration in his father's title-winning Ferrari during the German Grand Prix weekend, when he lapped the Hockenheimring in der Rekordmeister's legendary F2004, the car in which he won his seventh and final title.