Michael Schumacher’s 15-year-old son Mick has signed a contract with Van Amersfoort Racing to drive in the Formula 4, a series for young talents.

“We have watched his skills in test driving and are looking forward to a successful season,” the Dutch team’s owner Frits van Amersfoort said.

Mick Schumacher finished second in the German kart championship last season racing as Mick Junior or under his mother’s maiden name to protect his privacy.

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“In the last couple of years, it has become a tradition for us that we offer the runner-up from the German junior karting championship (DJKM) a test session in our simulator.

“This is handled by the DMSB, the German motorsport authority, and that is how we first got in touch with Mick Schumacher last autumn. He spent a full day in the simulator at our headquarters in The Netherlands. Then we witnessed him during a test session at Valencia and eventually, we reached an agreement to compete together in this year’s ADAC Formula 4 series.”

His father, Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher suffered severe head injuries in a skiing accident in December 2013.

Schumacher junior will make his debut for Van Amersfoort Racing in Oschersleben, Germany, on April 25-26, by which time he will be 16.

Formula 4, the new single-seat category to FIA standards, aims at young drivers with a background in karting.