Four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel paid tribute to his hero and friend Michael Schumacher at the 2026 Italian Grand Prix. The seven-time F1 world champion is still recovering from life-changing injuries sustained in a skiing accident back in December 2013.
Schumacher had been a mentor and friend to Vettel while the two raced in F1, and he maintained a close relationship with the former Ferrari driver after he retired from F1 at the end of 2012. Since his accident, Schumacher has been out of the public eye as his family looks after him and protects his privacy.
At this year’s Italian Grand Prix, various tributes were paid to the German legend, who made his debut for Ferrari 30 years ago in 1996 and won that year’s race at Monza. Vettel was also able to pay a special tribute to his friend.
He drove the Ferrari F2002 that Schumacher used to dominate the 2002 season and win his fifth world title. That saw him join Juan-Manuel Fangio as the only two five-time F1 world champions in the sport at that time, before Lewis Hamilton took his fifth title in 2018. Vettel himself took four titles from 2010 to 2013.
How Vettel Paid Tribute to Schumacher With the F2002
Vettel drove around the Monza circuit in the F2002 on the morning of Sunday 6th September 2026, ahead of the Italian Grand Prix later that day. Vettel had driven for Ferrari from 2015 to 2020. Fans at the circuit were treated to the screaming V10 aboard the Ferrari as Vettel hurled it around the track.
The German completed a few laps around the circuit as well as performing celebratory donuts in front of the main grandstand. He wore a race suit that was inscribed “For my friend Michael, there is still a race to win.” The F2002 was also posed with the F310 that Schumacher drove in the 1996 F1 season for the Scuderia. It was an emotional experience for Vettel, who was interviewed by F1 on the grid after his laps in the car.
“I’m mixed up in feelings,” said Vettel. “On the one hand, it’s such a beautiful car to drive and a beautiful piece of machinery, but more than that, it’s Michael’s car, and he’s not here today. But I felt him a lot,” added Vettel. “Thank you that I was allowed to share this moment; it makes me miss my friend even more, and I am sure we all do,” said the four-time world champion.
The Ferrari F2002 Was an All-Conquering Machine
The car that Vettel drove is one of the most dominant to have ever raced in Formula 1. Across the 19 races it drove, as it competed in a handful at the start of 2003, the F2002 won 15 of them, took 11 pole positions, and 28 podiums with Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello at the wheel. Introduced at the 2002 Brazilian Grand Prix, Schumacher won 10 races in 2002 and never finished lower than second in that season.
Barrichello took four wins in the 2002 season, while, as the F2002B, Schumacher won the 2003 San Marino Grand Prix in the car, with Barrichello finishing third in that event. The F2002 wasn’t developed beyond the 2002 Belgian Grand Prix; such was the speed it had. The German took the title at the 11th race of the season in France, remarkably early for a title victory, and Ferrari easily won the constructors’ world title for the fourth consecutive year. It was also Schumacher’s third consecutive drivers’ world title. It remains one of the greatest cars to ever race in Formula 1.