AlphaTauri Team Principal Franz Tost wanted to sign Mick Schumacher as an AlphaTauri driver. But ‘political’ reasons, amidst other reasons, blocked this potential move.
AlphaTauri Team Principal Tost Rates Mick Schumacher Highly
In a recent interview with RTL News, Tost exclaimed that he thought very highly of the former Haas driver. He stated, “I would actually have liked to have Mick in the car…Mick is talented and that he also has what it takes to drive successfully in Formula 1.”
Tost believes that political reasons stood in the way of Mick Schumacher potentially becoming an AlphaTauri driver. A big obstacle for the deal to succeed was that Schumacher was still a Ferrari Academy driver when he was looking for a permanent seat on the Formula 1 grid. It seems unlikely that Helmut Marko and Red Bull would have signed a driver from their rival’s camp. Red Bull too, have an unsaid habit of hiring drivers from their young pool of talent from their own academy. The Ferrari link was too big of a political reason to ignore.
If it was solely up to Franz Tost, perhaps Schumacher would have been an AlphaTauri driver right now. But the authority heads over at Red Bull maintain monopoly over such matters at Red Bull’s sister team, AlphaTauri.
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Schumacher Failed To Find A Permanent Seat
Mick Schumacher failed to find a permanent seat for the 2024 season. The German driver couldn’t convince Haas to re-new his contract after a season of ups and downs. Schumacher definitely had some sparks and memorable moments but fate had plans. Schumacher managed to secure twelve points with a season best result of sixth position. The 23-year-old was released by Haas to make way for the returning Nico Hulkenberg.
The former Formula 2 Champion has now left the Ferrari Driver Academy to make the move to the Silver Arrows. He is now the reserve driver for Mercedes.
Meanwhile, AlphaTauri signed Nyck De Vries after a convincing Formula 1 debut at Monza, where he finished ninth with absolutely zero preparation. De Vries was a last-minute replacement for Williams after Alex Albon was not medically cleared to compete.
Also Read: Nyck De Vries Faces Lawsuit For Chasing His Formula 1 Dream
Tost and Wolff Are On The Same Wavelength
Mercedes CEO Toto Wolff echoes the views of Franz Tost. Wolff finds Schumacher to be an extremely talented young driver and believes that a permanent seat is on the horizons for the 23-year-old. Wolff stated, “You see that his junior career track was very good, and I believe if we can give him a safe environment to further develop, he can be a good racing driver in a permanent seat in the future.”
Also Read: Toto Wolff Opens Up About Mick Schumacher And His F1 Future
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