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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has admitted that the team is willing to let Mick Schumacher go in case he gets an opportunity at any other team in 2024. The Silver Arrows' former reserve driver Nyck de Vries faced a similar situation in 2022 when the driver was approached by teams like Williams, Alpine, and AlphaTauri.
Even then, Mercedes did not stand in the way of the Dutch racer and allowed De Vries to join AlphaTauri for the 2023 F1 season. Schumacher is most likely going to find himself in a similar situation. The German raced for Haas in the first two seasons of his career but ran out of favor with the team and was replaced by Nico Hulkenberg.
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Mick Schumacher joined Mercedes as a reserve driver as the team aims to provide him with a safe environment to grow within the sport. As quoted by the Dutch publication Formule1.nl, Toto Wolff admitted that the German team was willing to be flexible if a potential seat turns up for the young Schumacher. He said:
“I believe that if we can provide him with a safe environment to develop further, he can be a good driver in a full-time seat in the future. We had to let Nyck go in the same way for him to have a career, now that could also happen with Mick. Whether it’s with our team or whether we have to let him go, we don’t know yet.”
How does Mick Schumacher contribute to Mercedes?
According to Toto Wolff, Mick Schumacher could prove to be a major asset for the team. The young German has been a part of the sport for two years now and has experience driving an F1 car in the latest regulations.
Claiming that Schumacher would be able to provide inputs and have an understanding that a normal reserve driver would not have, Wolff said:
“He will contribute enormously. He has already driven the new cars and has been in Formula 1 for two years. He will be super helpful in the simulator and in making judgements about the car. It will be good to have him at the track and in the debriefs.”
There are still question marks over the kind of role that Mick Schumacher will have at Mercedes and whether that will help him in securing a seat in F1. The German's likeliest opportunity for a seat in 2024 could be with Audi if the German giant is willing to let him go.
