Mick Schumacher ended his two-year tenure with Haas’ Formula 1 team with a 16th place finish at Abu Dhabi after contact with now-former Williams driver Nicholas Latifi. However, it appears Schumacher will remain within Formula 1 for the 2023 season.
According to Sergio Rodriguez, Schumacher will take over Mercedes’ reserve driver role which is being opened due to Nyck De Vries’ departure to Alpha Tauri starting next season. This news would represent a reunion regarding the Schumacher name.
The 23-year-old driver’s father, Michael Schumacher, joined Mercedes from 2010-2012 in a comeback effort after retiring for the first time at the conclusion of the 2006 season.
Related: Mick Schumacher increasingly likely to join Mercedes in 2023
Mick Schumacher expected to fill Mercedes’ reserve driver role for 2023 season
Schumacher has been linked to Mercedes for some time now and this all goes back to Daniel Ricciardo. The team’s first choice for its reserve driver role was Ricciardo; however, that did not end up happening.
The Australian native decided to make a reunion with Red Bull as he joined the team as its third driver for the 2023 season. Liam Lawson is Red Bull’s official reserve driver next year.
This means Schumacher was left as the top option for Mercedes. It has been increasingly likely the 23-year-old driver joins the organization since that announcement and that has only grown over the last two weeks.
This is what Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff had to say about Schumacher possibly joining the organization moving forward.
“(Mick Schumacher) is someone that has always been close to our heart because of (Michael Schumacher) and the whole Schumacher family. Ralf was in DTM for a long time with us, his son David races Mercedes in GTs, and Mick is an intelligent, well-mannered young man. He’s been very successful in junior formulas, and we believe that we can look after him if the situation were to happen. He is someone that just fits the team, but we haven’t put pen to paper. I’m saying that openly because I think he just fits and now we need to make it happen – if he wants to, if Sabine wants to and then we will see where that goes.”
Toto Wolff on Mick Schumacher possibly joining Mercedes
Mercedes will likely not have any openings in 2024 as Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will likely stay beyond. In fact, that might be the reason why Ricciardo did not join Mercedes.
However, it is crucial for Schumacher to stay involved in the sport. If the rumors of Audi wanting him for the 2026 season are true, he needs to find a ride or stay in the paddock until that point.
Plus, that is a very long time to wait for Audi to join the sport. It would mean Schumacher is out of a ride for three seasons and at that rate, would the manufacturer even want to hire him?
For now, Schumacher is expected to join Mercedes as Formula 1’s silly season has started to wrap up with few moves left.