Franz Tost has conceded he was in favour of replacing Pierre Gasly with Mick Schumacher, before Red Bull intervened and signed Nyck de Vries instead.
De Vries has since lost his place at AlphaTauri to Daniel Ricciardo, after a disappointing half-season with Red Bull’s junior outfit.
Tost admits that he wanted to sign Mick – who is the son of legendary Formula One driver Michael Schumacher.
The Austrian principal said: “Yes, I advocated for Mick at that time. It’s no secret.
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“He had Formula 1 experience. He had already driven in Formula 1 for two years, and he was still young.
“That was not the case with Nyck. That’s why I supported Mick Schumacher back then.”
De Vries’s unceremonious exit from AlphaTauri sparks the question of whether Tost had a point in his analysis at the time.
When asked if he regretted not “putting his foot down” to ensure the signing of Mick, Tost signalled that he did lament the decision.
He said: “Well, I regret that Mick is not in Formula 1. Because I believe he deserved a seat.”
Media sources asked Tost what advice he would give to Mick Schumacher now in a ‘fatherly advisor’ capacity.
The AlphaTauri principal remarked: “No matter which team, if there’s an opportunity, he should grab it.
“He won’t have the luxury of taking a long time to decide.”
Mick is currently working as the reserve driver for Mercedes, below Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in the pecking order.
Many observe that Schumacher’s messy axing from Haas has probably left a stain on the young German’s career.
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However, since Mick’s firing from Haas, he has received high praise from many huge names in the F1 world.
This includes plaudits from Toto Wolff, Lewis Hamilton and Zak Brown, who still see plenty of potential in the 24-year-old.
Even Guenther Steiner, Mick’s former boss, admitted that the German is in the “best position to secure a permanent seat among all the drivers at the moment”.