Mick Schumacher will not be driving the Mercedes W14 in the 2023 F1 season

Mick Schumacher will not be able to drive W14 in the 2023 F1 season. In December 2022, Mick Schumacher signed a deal with Mercedes to become the reserve driver for the team for the upcoming 2023 season.

He will attend all the races and test the race simulator back in Barckley between races. But his chances of driving for the team during the race weekend look very slim.

The Barkley-based factory is set to have Mick Schumacher on standby if Hamilton or Russell cannot drive. The team had a seat fitting for Schumacher at their base. They have also customized the pedal, steering wheel, and seat belt to his liking, even if he will not drive for the team in the upcoming season.

Despite F1 regulations suggesting that each team must run their young drives for at least two of the FP1 sessions, that does not apply to Mick Schumacher since he is not a rookie driver, having completed 42 grand prix entries with Haas F1 team.

Mercedes plans to reveal the W14's livery on February 15 and will take the vehicle out for a 100km test at Silverstone on the same day, with the 23-year-old German expected to be present with the team. Of course, Hamilton and Russell will have to share this 100km shakedown between them.

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"He deserves a chance," says Mercedes boss Toto Wolff about Mick Schumacher

Mick follows in his father Michael's footsteps by joining Mercedes, who came out of retirement to drive for the team from 2010 to 2012. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes this deal with Mercedes will help Schumacher get back on the grid in 2024.

Mick Schumacher, after signing with the Silver Arrow team, said:

“I am thrilled to be part of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team as their reserve driver for 2023, and I am committed to give it my all to contribute to their performance in this very competitive and professional environment."

The German expressed his gratitude to the team,

“I take this as a new start, and I am just excited and grateful to Toto and everybody involved for putting their trust in me."

Wolff believes Schumacher can succeed in Formula One, particularly given his stellar junior history.

Speaking on F1's Beyond the Grid podcast, Wolff said,

“I really like Mick and I like the family – how they have raised their kids with this unbelievably famous name – and I think he deserves a chance."

He also added,

“He always impressed me from his personality. The first time I met him, which was in his first year in [European] Formula 3 in Hockenheim, he’s just a good person. [He] won [European] F3, won F2 – that can’t come out of nowhere.”

Mercedes will launch their W14 on February 15, along with a 100km shakedown in Silverstone. A week later, they and their competitors will be in Bahrain for three days of pre-season testing.