Mercedes Team Principal, Toto Wolff, has outlined some upcoming plans for Mick Schumacher.
Schumacher is in the Mercedes set-up for 2023 at least with him joining the Silver Arrows pretty swiftly after news had broken that he would be leaving Haas, and the F1 grid, at the end of 2022.
Indeed, he was unable to find a permanent drive in the sport elsewhere for 2023 but has been offered a significant lifeline by Mercedes to keep him inside the F1 bubble, with him attending races this season and taking on the role as third driver and ambassador.
Of course, he wants to be racing, but the role with Mercedes is a good one and it should set him up about as well as any other position of this kind for any return to F1, if that is what is to happen.
For the time being, though, he’ll continue to do sim duties and the like, though Toto Wolff has revealed that the team is looking to try and get one of their old F1 cars ready for Mick so he can have a test in it.
Speaking via Blick, Wolff said:
“We’re trying to get an old car ready for him as soon as possible.”
Wolff also reiterated that, if the situation presented itself, Mick would fill in for either Lewis Hamilton or George Russell at a Grand Prix this year.
“This time Mick would drive. If one of our drivers gets Covid or gets injured, Mick will be in the Mercedes! Period, end of discussion.”
Of course, Mick won’t be wishing any ill towards either Hamilton or Russell but he will be wanting a taste of an F1 car again as soon as possible.
Mercedes are obviously working to try and sort that out in one of their old models, but whether Schumacher returns to the grid full-time in the future is another debate to be had altogether.
During his time at Haas, 2021 was a write-off as the team fully focused on 2022 and then, last season, the German partnered Kevin Magnussen.
He had some high points, including points finishes in Great Britain and Austria, but ultimately that was not enough for Guenther Steiner, who decided to replace Schumacher with Nico Hulkenberg at the team for 2023.
