Sebastian Vettel To Bring Schumacher’s Legendary Ferrari F2002 Back To Life

Sebastian Vettel will return to a Ferrari Formula 1 car at Monza this weekend, with the four-time world champion set to drive Michael Schumacher's iconic F2002 as Ferrari celebrates the legacy of its seven-time champion at the Italian Grand Prix.

Vettel, who raced for Ferrari for six seasons, will complete a demonstration lap in Schumacher's dominant 2002 car before Sunday's 53-lap race. The appearance will reunite the German with a machine closely associated with one of his childhood idols and one of Ferrari's most successful periods in F1.

The special run is part of a wider Schumacher tribute at Ferrari's home race, with the team also introducing a throwback livery inspired by the 1996 Ferrari that Schumacher drove to his first victory for the Scuderia at Monza.

Why is Sebastian Vettel returning to Ferrari?

Vettel is returning to the F1 track specifically for Ferrari's celebration of Schumacher's legacy at Monza.

The German has long spoken about Schumacher's influence on his career, and the pair developed a close friendship during their time in Formula 1.

Vettel will drive the F2002 on Sunday shortly before the start of the Italian Grand Prix. The car will be operated by Ferrari's F1 Clienti department.

It will not be a competitive F1 appearance for Vettel, but a demonstration run designed to celebrate Schumacher and one of the most iconic cars in Ferrari history.

What is the Ferrari F2002?

The F2002 was the car Schumacher used during one of the most dominant seasons of his career.

He finished outside the top two only once across the 2002 season, taking third place at the Malaysian Grand Prix. Schumacher won 11 of the 17 races, while his Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello won four.

The car was powered by a Ferrari V10 capable of reaching around 19,000rpm and producing approximately 900bhp.

Barrichello will also get behind the wheel of the F2002 during the Monza weekend, with the Brazilian set to drive the car on Saturday ahead of qualifying.

When will Sebastian Vettel drive the F2002?

Vettel is scheduled to drive the F2002 on Sunday before the Italian Grand Prix gets under way.

Fans at Monza will therefore get to see the Ferrari V10 back on track before the 53-lap race.

The F2002 will run on an advanced sustainable fuel developed by Shell. Ferrari said the fuel draws on technology and knowledge developed for the fuel used in the 2026 F1 season.

What other Schumacher cars will be at Monza?

Ferrari will display three of Schumacher's former Ferrari F1 cars throughout the Italian Grand Prix weekend.

They include:

• 1996 Ferrari F310 - Schumacher's first Ferrari F1 car.
• 2002 Ferrari F2002 - the car in which he enjoyed one of the most dominant seasons of his career.
• 2006 Ferrari 248 F1 - Schumacher's final Ferrari F1 car.

The display forms part of Ferrari's broader tribute to Schumacher's decade with the team.

Vettel's Ferrari connection

Vettel spent six seasons with Ferrari between 2015 and 2020, winning 14 grands prix for the Italian team.

Only Schumacher and Niki Lauda have won more races for Ferrari than Vettel.

Although Vettel never won a world championship with the Scuderia, his time with Ferrari established him as one of the team's most prominent drivers of the modern era.

His return to a Ferrari at Monza therefore carries an added significance: a former Ferrari driver, and a lifelong admirer of Schumacher, taking one of the German's most famous cars back onto the circuit where Schumacher enjoyed one of his defining Ferrari victories.

For Vettel, who retired from F1 at the end of 2022, it will be another opportunity to reconnect with the machinery and era that shaped his career - but this time in tribute to the driver he has repeatedly credited as an inspiration.