Toto Wolff has news for Mick Schumacher's Mercedes future; says having a year off will be good for him

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff feels that a year away from the sport could be beneficial for Mick Schumacher after the young German was replaced by Nico Hulkenberg for the 2023 season at Haas.

Haas' decision to drop Schumacher has been questioned by some supporters, as well as their management of the driver in general.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, however, feels that a year away from the sport could be a good thing for Mick Schumacher as he will have some time to improve and reassess himself. He said:

"Maybe, in a way, having a year off as a third driver, similar to what Daniel does, can be good to reassess yourself and bring yourself better in a better place and then hopefully find a seat again. He always impressed me from his personality. The first time I met him, which was in his first year in Formula 3 in Hockenheim. He's just a good person. He won F3 and F2 and, as I said before, that can't come out of nowhere."

Wolff praised Mick Schumacher for the way he has conducted himself throughout the entire situation. He also talked about how he "deserves a chance" while mentioning his achievements at lower levels.

Speaking on the Beyond the Grid podcast, he said:

"I really like Mick and I like the family, how they have raised their kids with this unbelievably famous name. I think he deserves a chance. He won the junior series, and that is not easy. Things can go against you when you're in your first years in Formula 1, and then he was under pressure to deliver, and that doesn't help and Formula 1 is brutal."

Mick Schumacher is one of the better newcomers: Ralf Schumacher

In a recent interview, Michael Schumacher's younger brother and Mick's uncle Ralf Schumacher also came out in support of the youngster. The former Williams driver believes that among the newcomers on the grid, Mick had been one of the better ones. He said:

"When you see the newcomers, [Yuki] Tsunoda, Zhou [Guanyu], and Mick, it's pretty clear that Mick is one of the better ones. They obviously approached it with different standards. Nowadays you have to give a driver two or three years. We see Tsunoda, who is sitting in a supposedly much better car and is also struggling. You just have different standards at Haas. You have to accept that. After all, the team belongs to Gene Haas, and the leader is Günther Steiner."

Mick Schumacher looks likely to be a Mercedes reserve driver next season. The young German will be hoping to find a way to the F1 grid in 2024, although it is hard to see where the openings could be.