Unfortunately for Mick Schumacher, Haas’ decision to switch to a more experienced driver pairing in 2023 cost the young German his seat, despite flashes of brilliance when racing for the American team.
The 23-year-old has been replaced by 35-year-old Nico Hulkenberg at Haas, a decision which left Schumacher hunting for a race seat elsewhere before he was eventually picked up by Mercedes to be their third driver.
It has now been revealed that the German was nearly offered an F1 lifeline, however his potential move to AlphaTauri was blocked.
After Pierre Gasly announced that he would be racing for Alpine in 2023, AlphaTauri were forced to search for a new partner for Yuki Tsunoda and according to team principal Franz Tost, Mick Schumacher caught the team’s eye.
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“I would actually have liked to have Mick in the car,” he told RTL.
“It then never came to a commitment, but personally, I think very highly of him.”
Tost revealed that it was a combination of “circumstances” and “political reasons” that prevented Schumacher from making the move to AlphaTauri, with the team eventually signing the hero of Monza, Nyck de Vries.
It is understood that the issues that Tost is referring to are related to the inter-team partnerships that exist on the grid, with AlphaTauri being Red Bull’s sister team and Mick Schumacher being affiliated to Ferrari.
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The former Ferrari junior would most likely have needed approval from the Scuderia to be able to join a Red Bull affiliated team, which made a potential deal for the German very complex.
In a bid to return to the F1 grid in the future, Schumacher has cut his ties with Ferrari and joined Mercedes as their reserve driver, with Toto Wolff taking the youngster under his wing.
Wolff has admitted that Schumacher’s pathway with the team will be similar to Nyck de Vries’, admitting that the Silver Arrows will see how Schumacher develops before making the decision whether to promote him to a race seat or allow him to pursue a career elsewhere.