It appears that Mick Schumacher’s stint on the side-lines is going to be short lived at Mercedes, with the German having revealed that “there is interest” in his signature looking into the future, suggesting that a 2024 return could be on the cards.
For the time being, though, Schumacher will be in the Mercedes garage occupying the reserve driver role, something which will see the German work alongside Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
Given how late last season his departure from Haas was announced, the son of Michael Schumacher has done extremely well to get himself a role as big as the gig at Mercedes.
Recent history suggests that being Mercedes’ reserve driver can lead onto big things, with Nyck de Vries having moved from being Mercedes’ reserve driver to AlphaTauri for 2023, where he’ll race alongside Yuki Tsunoda.
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Whilst he is only 23, it is imperative that Schumacher tries to find a spot on the grid for next year, with the likelihood being that he will be forgotten about should he remain in the background at Mercedes.
If he makes the most of being Mercedes’ reserve driver, though, then he will likely receive attention from some of the midfield teams, given how much he’ll likely learn at the Brackley-based side.
For now, at least, Schumacher is “comfortable” with how his future is looking, with the German “not too worried” as it stands about his future.
“Well, there’s obviously no guarantee [for 2024], but I’m in a comfortable position where I feel I can learn, I can extract the maximum from this year even though I’m not driving,” Schumacher said after the launch of the W14.
“But with the results I’ve shown in the junior categories, but also in F1, I’m sure there will be opportunities. Over the winter a few people have already mentioned that there is interest, so in that sense I’m not too worried.”
As well as the role being great for the German, Schumacher’s presence will be incredibly valuable for Mercedes, given that he’s raced in the new aerodynamic era of the sport.
This will allow Schumacher to “give the team reliable feedback” following his simulator sessions, where he’ll likely be spending the bulk of the season.
“Firstly, I do have the experience of driving last year’s car, which is the new generation,” Schumacher added.
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“That means the approaches that I will have in the simulator will be very similar to the ones the racing drivers will have on track.
“In terms of that direct comparison, I will be able to talk about time models, talk about how the car behaves or should behave and therefore will be able to change and adapt the simulator pretty quickly.
“Hopefully with that in mind, we’ll be able to give the team reliable feedback, but also a set of options that will work in the track.”