British F1 champion gives his verdict on Mick Schumacher - “He’s not one who wins you races or championships”

Veteran F1 driver and 1996 world champion Damon Hill has claimed that Mick Schumacher is not a consistent driver and would not bring championships or wins to a team. The German recently lost a chance to return to Formula 1 after Sauber announced its lineup for the 2025 season.

He was speculated to drive alongside Nico Hulkenberg as Audi will be taking over the team in the 2026 season. However, F2 driver Gabriel Bortoleto was picked for the seat. Schumacher raced in F1 for two seasons with Haas before he was replaced by the team. He then joined Mercedes as its reserve driver and was picked by Alpine as the team debuted in the World Endurance Championship this season.

However, none of his current trails have led him back to a full-time F1 seat. Analyzing his situation, Hill claimed that Schumacher is not very consistent, and would have to change himself as a driver to have a chance at returning to the grid.

"He has always shown flashes of potential, but not consistently enough," Hill said in an interview with BILD. "Mick is a solid driver, but unfortunately not one who wins victories or titles."

"If he wants to have another chance in Formula 1, he has to come back as a different driver. It has to click and he has to understand that he cannot make any compromises for his success."

Sauber's Mattia Binotto also revealed that Mick remained a "strong candidate" for the seat. However, the team decided to sign Bortoleto instead.

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Ralf Schumacher claims F1 "quite unrealistic" for Mick Schumacher

Ralf Schumacher, Mick's uncle, feels that F1 might not be the perfect place for the young driver. In the two seasons he raced for Haas, Schumacher wasn't able to always remain competitive. He scored no points in 2021 along with his teammate Nikita Mazepin, dropping the team to the bottom of the grid.

In 2022, however, he did manage to score 12 points against his teammate Kevin Magnussen's 25. It was after this season that the team decided not to extend his contract.

Discussing Mick's F1 return, Ralf stated that it is "quite unrealistic" unless another driver fails to take part in a race.

"Formula 1 is a crazy business, For Mick, unfortunately, the subject of Formula 1 is quite unrealistic unless someone drops out due to illness," he said via Sky Sport. "He has had to go through a lot recently, he heard via a [social media] post from Alpine that he would not be in the car. I'm sure he's disappointed, but he can deal with the decision."

While he does feel that Mick has the ability to race in F1, getting a seat is extremely difficult. Ralf also mentioned that Mick should focus on other racing series, likely hinting towards the World Endurance Championship.

"It will now be extremely difficult to return to Formula 1, although he would have deserved it given his abilities and achievements. But it is not impossible, I have already experienced too much for that. Who would have thought a few weeks ago that a young driver like Franco Colapinto would suddenly arouse the desire of top teams? Nevertheless, he must now concentrate on other series."

Currently, there seems to be no place for Mick Schumacher on the grid. As mentioned, Sauber (Audi) was a golden opportunity for him, but the team went for the junior driver instead.