Does detour lead back to F1?
Mick Schumacher’s big chance awaits in the “dark”.
By Martin Armbruster
12/15/2022, 6:18 p.m
Mercedes throws the lifeline to Mick Schumacher. Thanks to the Silver Arrows, the 23-year-old will also be part of Formula 1 next year after leaving Haas, albeit only as a test and reserve driver. From 2024, another project is exciting.
Schumacher and Mercedes 2.0. Where father Michael’s professional career began in a sports car in the early 1990s and ended in the F1 Silver Arrow in 2012, Mick Schumacher now also wants to gain a foothold. A “fresh start” is his commitment as a test and reserve driver for the Silver Arrows, said the German after the deal with Mercedes Motorsport Director Toto Wolff was bagged. In the environment of the long-standing world champion team, Schumacher wants to forget the difficult time at Haas with the bitter end as a regular driver.
“Formula 1 is a fascinating world where you never stop learning. I’m looking forward to absorbing even more knowledge and giving everything for the benefit of the Mercedes team,” the Schumacher racing team quoted in its official bulletin. That sounds nice, that sounds motivated – and yet for Schumacher it’s all about the “cellar”.
In the (ultramodern) simulator at the Mercedes plant in Brackley, he is supposed to help with the development and further development of the new Silver Arrow W14. Schumacher has always impressed throughout his career with “his technical feedback and his work ethic,” the German-British factory team said. And the boss also distributed advance praise. “He’s a hard worker, has a calm and methodical approach and is still hungry to learn and improve as a driver,” Mercedes chief Toto Wolff said of his number three in the stable.
Can establish reputation as an affine analyst
For Schumacher, however, something else is more important than the assignments in the simulator. In his new role, he will attend each of the 23 Grands Prix with the team in 2023. On the one hand, that’s important because he’ll definitely be allowed to take a seat in the Silver Arrow at one or the other Friday training session. On the other hand, because he is involved in the processes at the long-standing industry leader, for example when it comes to setting up the cars of superstar Lewis Hamilton and his crown prince George Russell. This is where Schumi jr. live up to his reputation as a technically savvy analyst. Above all, he can continue his education. “Soak up even more knowledge”. Learning from the best – where could that be better than with record champion Hamilton and Mercedes?
Nevertheless: Schumacher will not be able to do more than the role of the third man at Mercedes in the foreseeable future. Despite his advanced age of 37, Hamilton wants to continue driving for a few more years. Russell is just at the beginning of his time at Mercedes, which, according to many experts, will sooner or later culminate in the world championship throne. It is therefore important for Schumacher to make the best of his role. “Create, create, build the future” is the motto. And this is exactly where Schumacher should benefit from his permanent Mercedes presence in the paddock. On 23 race weekends, there are countless opportunities to talk to those responsible for other teams – especially with one person: Andreas Seidl.
After his surprising departure from McLaren, the Bavarian will be in charge as managing director at Sauber. Like Schumacher, the Swiss are facing a “new beginning”. 2023 should be a year of transition for Sauber – like for Schumacher. The sponsoring partnership between the racing team and Alfa Romeo will end at the end of next year, Audi is just around the corner.
Audi beckons and has big plans
The car giant will take over Sauber in 2026, when new engine regulations apply in Formula 1. The private team once founded by Peter Sauber becomes the Audi works team. Even before that, the brand with the four rings wants to buy from Sauber in several steps. Seidl is to lead the transition to the Audi age at Sauber. The 46-year-old benefits from the fact that he knows the racing team in Hinwil from his time at BMW (the Bavarians formed an F1 team with Sauber from 2006 to 2009). In addition, Seidl has excellent contacts with the VW Group, to which Audi also belongs, from his time at Porsche in the WEC endurance series.
Seidl knows what Audi wants. The people of Ingolstadt make no secret of the fact that they want a German driver for their Formula 1 adventure. Of course, Seidl also knows Mick Schumacher. And of course it could come in handy next year. Personally in direct conversation and over the ear. Even an experienced “development driver” gets around in the paddock.
For the coming season, the cockpits at Alfa/Sauber have been assigned to the Finnish veteran Valtteri Bottas and the young Chinese Zhou Guanyu. At least one seat is likely to become vacant in 2024. The Mercedes deal is all the more important for Schumacher. As a substitute driver (and that, by the way, also for the Mercedes customers McLaren, Aston Martin and Williams), the young driver does not lose touch, does not lose touch with the premier class and does not miss any (technical) developments. Under the Mercedes star, Schumacher can sharpen his profile in 2023 without the constant media stress he recently had at Haas – and plan for the future.
What does it take for an F1 comeback?
The career of Esteban Ocon shows that such a transitional year can work. The Frenchman lost his cockpit at Racing Point in late 2018 so the team’s owner, billionaire Lawrence Stroll, could house his far less talented son Lance. Ocon, then in the Mercedes junior program, took on the role of test and development driver for the silver drivers in 2019, and he was also present at the Grand Prix weekends. When Mercedes preferred to extend Valtteri Bottas in the summer of 2019 instead of promoting the junior, Ocon had long established contacts with Renault and pushed Nico Hülkenberg out of the French. The rest is history: in 2020 Ocon raced onto the podium for the first time, in 2021 he was sensationally at the top for the factory team in Hungary, which has since been renamed Alpine. Successes that Mick Schumacher also dreams of.
What does it take to make an F1 comeback if you’re just a reserve driver for a year? Patience and staying power in the simulator, said Ocon in an interview with RTL/ntv a few days after his Budapest coup. “As I crossed the finish line, I had to think about all those moments, including the difficult ones in Formula 1, when I was patiently waiting for someone to give me a chance. I was working in the dark, without headlights, without that someone saw it. But I’ve been waiting for people to realize how insanely motivated I am. No matter what the cost – I want to win races. I’ve always believed that hard work will pay off one day, when I show that I’m motivated and hungry I’ve always been ready when the engine started, whether it’s for filming, winter or summer testing If there’s a chance I jump in the car even if I can’t race I want to drive as much as possible.” The words of his friend from Normandy – for Mick Schumacher they sound like instructions.