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Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner recently spoke about Mercedes reserve driver Mick Schumacher's future in Formula 1.
Mick Schumacher had turbulent two seasons when he was in F1, driving for Haas in 2021 and 2022. He left the American team and the grid since there were no vacant seats available. In 2023, he joined Mercedes as their reserve driver and soon bagged the opportunity to participate in the WEC (World Endurance Championship) Hypercar Category with Alpine in 2024.
Speaking to Bild, Guenther Steiner opined that if Mick Schumacher fails to return to F1 by 2025, he would never be able to enter the series. He added that Michael Schumacher's son needs to use his WEC campaign as a stepping stone to find an opportunity to enter Formula 1.
“If it doesn’t work out next year, it will probably never work out again. He has to perform well in the WEC this season – then it can be a stepping stone. If he doesn’t race in Formula 1 next year, it will be three years without a cockpit," Steiner said (vai PlanetF1)
Sure, he was there for two years and is part of the new generation – but what use is that then? It would be extremely difficult if he was completely out for three years,” he added.
In the first race of the 2024 WEC season in Qatar, Mick Schumacher's Alpine team ended up in P12 in the Hypercar standings.
Mick Schumacher denied a F1 test from Alpine due to his connections to Mercedes
Alpine team principal Bruno Famin straightaway denied the prospect of Mick Schumacher getting an F1 testing session from Alpine after joining their WEC Hypercar team since they already had reserve driver Jack Doohan for tests. He pointed out that the German driver is Mercedes' reserve driver and that his contract is exclusively for the WEC.
"No, we cannot [Provide Schumacher a test in F1]. We don't plan because we have a reserve driver with Jack Doohan, and Mick is the Mercedes reserve driver. The contract we have with Mick is exclusively for endurance," Motorsport quoted Famin.
While racing in the WEC, Mick Schumacher continued his duties as a reserve driver for Mercedes and McLaren. He frequently tested Silver Arrows' F1 cars on the simulator and helped the team refine their machines. He also had a test session with McLaren in 2023.
