The son of Michael Schumacher has taken the next step in his own motor-racing career by signing for a Formula 4 team for this year.

Fifteen-year-old Mick Schumacher is to race for Van Amersfoort Racing after impressing in testing over the winter, and after finishing as runner-up in the world, European and German karting championships last season.

Team owner Frits van Amersfoort said: “In the last couple of years, it has become a tradition for us we offer the runner-up from the German junior karting championship 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. Eventually, we reached an agreement to compete together in this year’s Formula 4 series.”

Van Amersfoot Racing helped propel Max Verstappen into Formula One this year with Toro Rosso after he finished third in last season's F3 championship. Mick

Schumacher’s father Michael, a seven-times F1 champion, continues to recover at his home in Gland, Switzerland, after sustaining severe head injuries from a skiing accident in December 2013.