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Mick Schumacher has maintained his optimism about finding a way back to the F1 grid following the 2023 season.
The German was one of four drivers from the 2022 season who will not be driving this season after two abject campaigns with American outfit Haas F1.
Mick Schumacher's departure from Haas also coincided with him parting ways with the Ferrari Driver Academy (FDA). It was under the FDA banner that he claimed the F2 crown in 2020 while driving for Prema Racing.
Despite not having a designated race seat for the forthcoming season, Mick Schumacher is unperturbed about his future in the sport.
During a media interaction at the launch event of the Mercedes W14, the German revealed that there had been interest in his services.
“There’s obviously no guarantee, but I’m in a comfortable position right now where I feel like I can learn, I can extract the maximum out of this year – even though I’m not driving. I’m sure that with the results I’ve shown in junior categories, but also in F1, I’m sure that there will be opportunities. Over the winter, a few people have already mentioned that there’s interest. So in one sense, I’m not too worried.”
The 23-year-old has moved on from the Prancing Horse to Mercedes. This is not unlike his illustrious father, seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher, albeit in a different capacity.
Schumacher replaced Nyck de Vries as the Silver Arrows' reserve driver following the Dutchman's move to Scuderia AlphaTauri. He is also in line to fill in as a reserve for McLaren, who get their Power Unit from Mercedes.
George Russell shares his advice for Mercedes reserve driver Mick Schumacher
George Russell has shared some valuable advice for Mercedes reserve driver Mick Schumacher as the latter plots a way back to the F1 grid.
Russell is a champion in the junior formulae, with a GP3 (now F3) title in 2017 and an F2 title in 2018, just like Mick Schumacher. Russell started his F1 career with a backmarker team similar to the German.
Now that Schumacher is set to spend a year on the sidelines, Russell feels he has plenty to offer the Mercedes program while also honing his skills and improving.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Auto Motor und Sport in Germany, the Briton said:
"I'm looking forward to see his views on the team and what he has to say, because I'm sure there are things that we can learn from him. I think, for him, seeing how this team operates, seeing how Lewis and I work together with the engineers, will probably be useful for him."
Russell expects Schumacher to put in the work in the simulator and believes his insight will be vital to the development of the W14.
"For me, if I was in Mick's shoes, I would be working super hard in the simulator here in Brackley, really trying to integrate yourself well with the team. The simulator is really important asset for us, and we need top-quality drivers driving as often as possible. And obviously, Mick is one of them, so he needs to be locking himself in that room and do the laps."
Nyck de Vries was able to use his position as a reserve driver with Mercedes to find a way on the F1 grid. The possibility of Mick Schumacher replicating his predecessor cannot be ruled out.
