Mercedes reserve driver Mick Schumacher seemingly has his sights set on leaving the Brackley-based team very shortly, with him expecting to be back on the Formula 1 grid “by next year at the latest”.
Schumacher joined the Silver Arrows as their reserve driver this season after being axed by Haas, who opted not to offer the German a contract extension.
The American outfit chose to sign the experienced Nico Hulkenberg, with Schumacher having made too many mistakes for the midfield side.
Schumacher did come close to taking Pierre Gasly’s seat at AlphaTauri, when it was confirmed that the Frenchman would be switching to Alpine.
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AlphaTauri boss Franz Tost was keen to sign the 24-year-old; however, the Faenza-based team ultimately chose to sign Nyck de Vries.
De Vries actually left his role as Mercedes’ reserve driver to join the Red Bull sister team, which opened up the spot for the Germans to sign Schumacher.
He recently drove the W14 for the first time in a Pirelli tyre test, held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is very much aware that Schumacher should be on the grid, with the German having been linked to Williams this year.
Following Logan Sargeant’s difficult start to life at the pinnacle of motorsport, Schumacher has been linked to the American’s seat, perhaps as soon as this campaign.
Williams appears to be the only team he could move to either mid-season or in 2024, with the majority of drivers on the grid being contracted until the end of next year.
Should Schumacher want to return to the F1 grid in a competitive seat, his best bet could be to remain at Mercedes as their reserve driver until the end of 2024, before pushing for a seat in 2025.
The likes of Sauber could be a great destination for Schumacher, due to them partnering with German manufacturer Audi in 2026.
A German driver racing for a German manufacturer would be perfect for Audi, in what’ll be something to certainly keep an eye on.
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Interestingly though, Schumacher believes he’ll be back on the grid “very soon”.
“I’m always ready for action,” Schumacher told German publication RTL.
“Believe me: I am working very hard to hopefully be back in the car soon. See you very soon. By next year at the latest, it should be that time again. I’m sure something will develop in the near future.”