# David Schumacher (racing driver)
**David Schumacher** (born 2001 in Salzburg) is a German racing driver who competed in single-seater formula racing before moving to GT and touring car competition, and who is the son of former Formula 1 driver [Ralf Schumacher](https://www.edgepedia.org/ralf-schumacher), the nephew of seven-time Formula 1 world champion [Michael Schumacher](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-schumacher), and the cousin of Formula 1 driver [Mick Schumacher](https://www.edgepedia.org/mick-schumacher).[1](https://www.speedsport-magazine.com/drivers/david-schumacher) • [2](https://f1pedia.com/en/f3/encyclopedia/drivers/david-schumacher)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 2001, Salzburg, Germany[1](https://www.speedsport-magazine.com/drivers/david-schumacher) |
| Family | Son of Ralf Schumacher (180 Formula 1 starts, 6 wins), nephew of Michael Schumacher, cousin of Mick Schumacher[2](https://f1pedia.com/en/f3/encyclopedia/drivers/david-schumacher) • [3](https://www.speedweek.com/a/dtm/david-schumacher-und-die-komplizierte-karriere-phase) |
| Junior highlights | ADAC Formula 4 rookie title 2018; 4th in the 2019 Formula Regional European Championship with 4 wins[4](https://www.fiaformula3.com/en/latest/article/the-inside-scout-david-schumacher.7dR8Fv1fPaDnL9h0ZIQWKt) • [1](https://www.speedsport-magazine.com/drivers/david-schumacher) |
| FIA Formula 3 | Three seasons (2019 to 2021); best championship finish 11th in 2021 with Trident, with a maiden win at the Red Bull Ring[5](https://www.motorsport.com/dtm/news/david-schumacher-surprised-friendlier-dtm-environment/10343705/) |
| DTM | Winward Racing, Mercedes-AMG GT3, 2022 and 2023; 25th in 2023[6](https://www.motorsport.com/dtm/news/david-schumacher-joins-winward-mercedes/8394082/) • [1](https://www.speedsport-magazine.com/drivers/david-schumacher) |
| GT racing since 2023 | GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Gold Cup 4th in 2023; ADAC GT Masters 5th with 3 wins in 2024; Ford Mustang GT3 with Haupt Racing Team from 2025[1](https://www.speedsport-magazine.com/drivers/david-schumacher) |
## Family background
Schumacher belongs to one of motorsport's best-known families. His father Ralf drove 180 Formula 1 grands prix over 11 seasons from 1997 to 2007, taking 6 wins, 6 pole positions, and 27 podiums, and also won the 1995 Formula 3 [Macau Grand Prix](https://www.edgepedia.org/macau-grand-prix).[3](https://www.speedweek.com/a/dtm/david-schumacher-und-die-komplizierte-karriere-phase) • [7](https://los40.com/2023/12/27/ralf-schumacher-habla-sobre-el-tragico-accidente-de-michael-nada-es-como-antes/) • [8](https://www.macau.grandprix.gov.mo/uploads/media/page/gazette/2019/66_MGP_Gazette_III_EN.pdf) His uncle Michael is a seven-time Formula 1 world champion, and his cousin Mick reached Formula 1 with Haas.[8](https://www.macau.grandprix.gov.mo/uploads/media/page/gazette/2019/66_MGP_Gazette_III_EN.pdf)
He has described the surname as a double-edged inheritance. In a 2021 interview with the Italian sports paper *La Gazzetta dello Sport* he said the name "can be a curse", while also acknowledging that it opens doors; he recalled dining with Mick after a Formula 2 race in Budapest and finding their table surrounded by 15 people.[9](https://www.gazzetta.it/Auto/21-09-2021/schumacher-parla-david-figlio-ralf-questo-cognome-puo-essere-maledizione-4201359445529.shtml) In a 2023 SPORT1 interview he said the name Schumacher "has opened doors".[10](https://www.sport1.de/news/motorsport/formel1/2023/07/david-schumacher-im-interview-uber-onkel-michael-und-seine-ambitionen-die-formel-1-ist-wahnsinnig-kompliziert) His father is also his adviser: David has said Ralf tells him "how to make a car work and how to properly prepare the tyres".[4](https://www.fiaformula3.com/en/latest/article/the-inside-scout-david-schumacher.7dR8Fv1fPaDnL9h0ZIQWKt)
## Single-seater career
David Schumacher took his first steps in automobile racing in the winter of 2017/18, after karting from 2015 to 2017.[11](https://media.adac-motorsport.de/dl.php?dID=2383%2C2384%2C2896%2C3104&fID=80137) • [1](https://www.speedsport-magazine.com/drivers/david-schumacher) In 2018 he raced in ADAC Formula 4, finishing 9th overall in 20 races, and took 2nd in the Formula 4 UAE Championship with 3 wins; he names the ADAC Formula 4 rookie title, which he won that year, among his biggest achievements in the sport.[1](https://www.speedsport-magazine.com/drivers/david-schumacher) • [4](https://www.fiaformula3.com/en/latest/article/the-inside-scout-david-schumacher.7dR8Fv1fPaDnL9h0ZIQWKt) Two years in ADAC Formula 4 had been planned, but after one season he moved up to the Formula Regional European Championship, a Formula 3-level series with 270 hp Tatuus-[Alfa Romeo](https://www.edgepedia.org/alfa-romeo) cars, with the team US Racing.[12](https://www.autobild.de/artikel/david-schumacher-steigt-auf-14764403.html) He finished 4th in that 2019 championship with 4 wins from 24 races.[1](https://www.speedsport-magazine.com/drivers/david-schumacher)
In 2020 he raced for Charouz Racing System in 12 races and [Carlin Motorsport](https://www.edgepedia.org/carlin-motorsport) in 6, and he also finished 21st in the 2019 Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix with the Sauber Junior Team by Charouz, a team making its own debut on the Guia Circuit.[1](https://www.speedsport-magazine.com/drivers/david-schumacher) • [8](https://www.macau.grandprix.gov.mo/uploads/media/page/gazette/2019/66_MGP_Gazette_III_EN.pdf)
**The 2021 season** with Trident was his strongest in the category. He contested all 20 races, finished 11th in the championship, and took his maiden Formula 3 victory in [Race 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/race-2) at the [Red Bull Ring](https://www.edgepedia.org/red-bull-ring) on 4 July 2021, leading Frederik Vesti and Dennis Hauger across the line.[5](https://www.motorsport.com/dtm/news/david-schumacher-surprised-friendlier-dtm-environment/10343705/) • [13](https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/decision-document/2021%20Spielberg%20Event%20-%20Race%202%20Final%20Classification.pdf) He returned to Charouz for a partial 2022 campaign of 4 races before leaving single-seaters.[1](https://www.speedsport-magazine.com/drivers/david-schumacher)
## Move to GT and touring cars
Schumacher made his sportscar racing debut in 2022 in the DTM with Winward Racing, driving a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo as part of an expanded eight-car Mercedes roster, alongside reigning champion Maximilian Götz and Lucas Auer.[6](https://www.motorsport.com/dtm/news/david-schumacher-joins-winward-mercedes/8394082/) The signing followed his appearance in Mercedes' young driver test at Paul Ricard in November 2021, his first drive of the GT3 car.[6](https://www.motorsport.com/dtm/news/david-schumacher-joins-winward-mercedes/8394082/) His 2022 season included a retirement in Race 2 at the [Norisring](https://www.edgepedia.org/norisring), and a crash at Hockenheim in October in which he suffered a spine fracture.[14](https://www.racingsportscars.com/driver/archive/David-Schumacher-D.html) • [6](https://www.motorsport.com/dtm/news/david-schumacher-joins-winward-mercedes/8394082/) He stayed with Winward for 2023, finishing 25th in the DTM, while taking 4th in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Gold Cup class with one win.[1](https://www.speedsport-magazine.com/drivers/david-schumacher)
**Prototype Cup and family team-up.** In 2024 he drove a Ligier JS P320-Nissan for US Racing in the Prototype Cup Germany, winning 2 of the 2 races he contested, and shared an LMP3 car with his father: Ralf Schumacher, whose US Racing team he co-owns with Gerhard Ungar, came out of retirement to race alongside his son.[1](https://www.speedsport-magazine.com/drivers/david-schumacher) • [11](https://media.adac-motorsport.de/dl.php?dID=2383%2C2384%2C2896%2C3104&fID=80137) • [15](https://www.rtl.de/sport/comeback-von-ralf-schumacher-als-teamkollege-von-sohn-david-die-schumachers-im-rtl-interview-id1744551.html) The same year brought his best GT result, 5th in the ADAC GT Masters with 3 wins for Haupt Racing Team in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, plus a class win in the Nürburgring Endurance Series.[1](https://www.speedsport-magazine.com/drivers/david-schumacher)
From 2025 he raced Ford GT3 machinery with Haupt Racing Team: 27th in the ADAC GT Masters, 4th in the SP 9 class of the 24h [Nürburgring](https://www.edgepedia.org/nurburgring), and 19th in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Silver Cup, with a [Ford Mustang GT3](https://www.edgepedia.org/ford-mustang-gt3).[1](https://www.speedsport-magazine.com/drivers/david-schumacher) • [16](https://www.gt-world-challenge-europe.com//driver/3876/david-schumacher)
## Driving style and reception
Schumacher describes himself as aggressive on corner entry, carrying high speed into corners and favoring fast sections; his favorite circuit on the Formula 3 calendar was Barcelona.[4](https://www.fiaformula3.com/en/latest/article/the-inside-scout-david-schumacher.7dR8Fv1fPaDnL9h0ZIQWKt) His single-seater record drew mixed assessments: two FIA Formula 3 seasons produced a best championship finish of 11th and one victory, and his 2022 DTM debut season included retirements from crashes, notably a collision with three-time DTM champion René Rast at the Nürburgring that drew criticism of his driving conduct.[5](https://www.motorsport.com/dtm/news/david-schumacher-surprised-friendlier-dtm-environment/10343705/) After switching to GT racing he said he was surprised by how much friendlier the environment was compared with the single-seater ladder.[5](https://www.motorsport.com/dtm/news/david-schumacher-surprised-friendlier-dtm-environment/10343705/)
## References
1. [David Schumacher (Germany), racing driver, Speedsport Magazine](https://www.speedsport-magazine.com/drivers/david-schumacher)
2. [David Schumacher, F1pedia](https://f1pedia.com/en/f3/encyclopedia/drivers/david-schumacher)
3. [David Schumacher und die komplizierte Karriere-Phase, SPEEDWEEK.com](https://www.speedweek.com/a/dtm/david-schumacher-und-die-komplizierte-karriere-phase)
4. [The inside scout – David Schumacher, FIA Formula 3](https://www.fiaformula3.com/en/latest/article/the-inside-scout-david-schumacher.7dR8Fv1fPaDnL9h0ZIQWKt)
5. [David Schumacher surprised by friendlier DTM environment, Motorsport.com](https://www.motorsport.com/dtm/news/david-schumacher-surprised-friendlier-dtm-environment/10343705/)
6. [David Schumacher joins DTM in 2022 with Winward Mercedes, Motorsport.com](https://www.motorsport.com/dtm/news/david-schumacher-joins-winward-mercedes/8394082/)
7. [Ralf Schumacher habla sobre el trágico accidente de Michael, LOS40](https://los40.com/2023/12/27/ralf-schumacher-habla-sobre-el-tragico-accidente-de-michael-nada-es-como-antes/)
8. [Media Information, 66th Macau Grand Prix Gazette, Macau Grand Prix Committee](https://www.macau.grandprix.gov.mo/uploads/media/page/gazette/2019/66_MGP_Gazette_III_EN.pdf)
9. [Schumacher, parla David, figlio di Ralf, Gazzetta.it](https://www.gazzetta.it/Auto/21-09-2021/schumacher-parla-david-figlio-ralf-questo-cognome-puo-essere-maledizione-4201359445529.shtml)
10. ["Name Schumacher hat Türen geöffnet", SPORT1](https://www.sport1.de/news/motorsport/formel1/2023/07/david-schumacher-im-interview-uber-onkel-michael-und-seine-ambitionen-die-formel-1-ist-wahnsinnig-kompliziert)
11. [Media Information, ADAC Motorsport](https://media.adac-motorsport.de/dl.php?dID=2383%2C2384%2C2896%2C3104&fID=80137)
12. [David Schumacher im Exklusiv-Interview vor dem Saisonstart, AUTO BILD](https://www.autobild.de/artikel/david-schumacher-steigt-auf-14764403.html)
13. [2021 Spielberg Event, Race 2 Final Classification, FIA](https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/decision-document/2021%20Spielberg%20Event%20-%20Race%202%20Final%20Classification.pdf)
14. [David Schumacher (D) Complete Archive, Racing Sports Cars](https://www.racingsportscars.com/driver/archive/David-Schumacher-D.html)
15. [Comeback von Ralf Schumacher als Teamkollege von Sohn David, RTL](https://www.rtl.de/sport/comeback-von-ralf-schumacher-als-teamkollege-von-sohn-david-die-schumachers-im-rtl-interview-id1744551.html)
16. [David Schumacher, 2025, GT World Challenge Europe](https://www.gt-world-challenge-europe.com//driver/3876/david-schumacher)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Cycling and motor sport › Touring car racing*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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