Mick Schumacher, son of seven-time F1 champion Michael, has signed to the Prema Powerteam

It will be the 16-year-old's second season in F4, though it has yet to be decided whether he will contest the German or Italian series.

In the 2015 German ADAC championship, he scored one win, a third place and several top ten finishes.

Intriguingly, Prema enjoys close links with Ferrari, though it is understood talk of Schumacher becoming part of the Maranello outfit's driver academy is somewhat premature.

Lance Stroll, a former member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, won the 2014 Italian F4 championship with Prema and continues with the Italian team in European F3 this season, having been recruited by Williams as a development driver.

"I am proud to welcome Mick Schumacher to our team," said Prema team principal, Angelo Rosin. "As a driver, he is showcasing a constantly-improving potential and he already has a one-year experience in Formula 4. At his maiden season in single seaters, he quickly showed he has all what it takes to aim for the top.

"We always kept an eye on him because he was a perfect prospect for Prema. He is quick, smart, determined and likes to work hard with the team in the quest for the highest possible level of performance."

"Prema Powerteam for me is the perfect next step on my way to go for the best performance and to become a complete driver," added Schumacher. "The team is very experienced and open, and everybody is really good in working closely with us drivers - plus there is Angelo who is behind every detail. It already is a lot of fun to work with the team, and I look forward to this challenge and to sharing a cool experience together. I am very proud to be a part of Prema."