formula 1
Mick Schumacher’s double role: year of decision?
Hopes for a return to Formula 1: Mick Schumacher. photo
© Hasan Bratic/dpa
Mick Schumacher is in a good mood and relaxed. But he should know exactly what is at stake in his racing career this year. In Bahrain he is only a Formula 1 spectator.
Like father Michael Schumacher once did
“Of course Formula 1 is still the big dream and the big love,” he said at the beginning of a year, at the end of which the chance of the longed-for return to a regular cockpit was at least as great as it had been for a long time and not for a long time after that should be.
Also because this year he is taking a two-pronged approach. He will drive for the French manufacturer Alpine in the Endurance World Championship and – like his father Michael before entering Formula 1 – compete in the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Maybe it will be the start of a return to the premier class, Mick Schumacher already emphasized. After two difficult years for Haas under then team boss Günther Steiner, he was retired by the American racing team at the end of 2022.
Hamilton’s successor at Mercedes?
Since then he has been hoping for a comeback and to be reinstated as a regular pilot. Mick Schumacher was also surprised that Lewis Hamilton’s cockpit would be vacant at Mercedes after this season. He had not expected the record world champion to leave for Ferrari, whose youth academy Mick Schumacher was also a part of.
He would have the confidence to take his place. “It’s a position that brings with it a lot of pressure,” he said in an RTL interview. But he actually feels up to it. Any other statement would be anything but self-promotion. And Mick Schumacher needs that.
But does he really have a chance at Mercedes? Team boss Toto Wolff did not want any “romantic thoughts” to arise with regard to the son of record world champion Michael Schumacher, who was replaced by Hamilton at the Silver Arrows for three years after his comeback at the end of 2012.
But Mick Schumacher could definitely benefit from the movement in the driver market that will arise from Hamilton’s move and several contracts expiring at the end of this year. Alpine’s two current drivers in Formula 1, Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, also only have their place secured by contract for this season.
He has to make sure that the right opportunity arises for him, said Mick Schumacher. He may also suspect that if not after this season, it will be difficult to return to a regular cockpit.
From Bahrain directly to Qatar
Commitment to the World Endurance Championship (WEC) should help in the next year of applications. This week he is already feeling the stress and strain he will face, although the distances between his workplaces are extremely limited. From the Sakhir desert we go directly to the Lusail International Circuit near Doha in Qatar. The WEC tests there on Saturday and Sunday before the season opener, which, like the Bahrain Grand Prix, takes place on March 2nd.
There will be overlaps in Mick Schumacher’s dual-job roster five times this year in eight long-distance races. This is also why Mercedes is likely to have nominated another replacement driver for this season in 22-year-old Dane Fred Vesti after completing his junior program with the German car manufacturer.
Mick Schumacher will not allow himself to be distracted, deterred or influenced too much by all of this. He definitely seems relaxed before the stressful season with a career path factor. He recently enjoyed a few days in New York with his Danish girlfriend or appeared with her on the red carpet in Frankfurt am Main.
He is determined with a clear goal anyway. Hopefully he can prove to the people in Formula 1 that he still deserves a chance in the premier class of motorsport. “And that I belong here,” he already emphasized.