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Sebastian Vettel will drive a Ferrari once again at this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, taking part in a special tribute to Michael Schumacher at Monza.
Vettel spent six years racing for Ferrari, winning 14 grands prix for the Italian team. That places him behind only Schumacher and Niki Lauda in the list of Ferrari race winners. His return to the cockpit will add another layer to a weekend centred on Schumacher’s decade of success with the Scuderia.
Ferrari has already confirmed a throwback livery honouring its seven-time champion. The tribute will now extend beyond the Formula 1 cars, with Vettel and Rubens Barrichello scheduled to drive one of Schumacher’s Ferrari machines around the circuit.
The wider Schumacher tribute at Monza will therefore combine Ferrari’s visual celebration with a direct connection to the cars that defined Schumacher’s time at the team.
Barrichello will drive the F2002 on Saturday. The Brazilian was a long-time Ferrari team-mate of Schumacher and will complete a lap around Monza in the car during the weekend.
Vettel, who has maintained a strong friendship with Schumacher, will take his turn in the same Ferrari before the start of Sunday’s grand prix. The occasion gives Vettel a particularly personal role in the team’s tribute, linking his own Ferrari career with Schumacher’s most successful period in red.
Ferrari has confirmed that its F1 Clienti department will operate the car. It will run on an “advanced sustainable fuel developed specifically by Shell, drawing on the know-how acquired this season to create the fuel being used in 2026.”
The F2002 will not be the only Schumacher-era Ferrari visible at Monza. Three of his Ferrari cars will be displayed throughout the weekend: the 1996 F310, the 2002 F2002 and the 2006 248 F1.
The F310 and 248 F1 represent Schumacher’s first and last Ferrari cars, while the F2002 completes a collection spanning his time with the Italian squad. Together with the throwback livery and the demonstration laps, the display will make Schumacher’s Ferrari legacy a central feature of the Italian Grand Prix weekend.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.