Mick Schumacher recently landed the role as Mercedes’ reserve driver for 2024. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff recently gave his insight into Schumacher’s quest of acquiring a permanent seat on the F1 grid.
Left In No Mans Land After Haas Exit
Mick Schumacher failed to find a permanent seat for the 2024 season. The German driver was released by Haas to make way for the returning Nico Hulkenberg. The stride towards securing a permanent seat on the grid becomes more difficult with the large pool of talent coming up from F2.
Schumacher used to regularly out-perform his former team-mate Nikita Mazepin at Haas. But when veteran driver Kevin Magnussen achieved a Haas home-coming, Magnussen began to visibly out-performed German driver.
Mick Schumacher and Kevin Magnussen Head-To-Head Battle
Schumacher managed to secure twelve points with a season best result of 6th position. Meanwhile, Kevin Magnussen achieved Haas’s first ever pole position in their short history in F1. Magnussen scored twenty-five points with a best result of 5th position.
The 23-year-old is no longer part of the Ferrari Driver Academy and has made the move to the Mercedes camp. A career move resembling that of Mick’s father and the Formula 1 great, Michael Schumacher. Also Read:What Are The 2024 Car Launch Dates For Formula 1 Teams?
Wolff Sees The Spark Within Mick Schumacher
Mercedes Team Principal and Chief Executive Officer Toto Wolff only had words of praise for young Schumacher. He stated, “The most important factor is his personality. He’s a well-educated, intelligent and talented young man.”
Wolff clearly sees potential in Mick and that is reflected in the immense faith Wolff has shown by signing Mick as the reserve driver for Mercedes. Such a big move shows that Wolff thinks that the German driver should be given an opportunity and is groomed for the F1 world. He believes that Mick could find a permanent seat in the future. “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,” Wolff further added.
“In the same way we have let Nyck de Vries go in order for him to achieve a career, that could be something that could happen to Mick. Whether it is in our team or letting him go elsewhere, we don’t know,” Wolff said.
The Schumacher Move Benefits Mercedes
Schumacher is pivotal for Mercedes’ development of the W14 car. Schumacher’s simulator testing and contributions might just be key to the Silver Arrows’ battle to challenge for the title again.
“He will be super helpful in the simulator and in assessing the car overall. It will be good to have him on track in the debriefing room, and he’s a credible young racing driver…So, from that perspective, we have definitely gained with Mick joining the team,” Wolff told racingnews365. Also Read: Zak Brown And Others Look To Solve The Red Flag Dilemma In F1 Qualifying Sessions
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