Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff showed his support for Mick Schumacher. As the 2022 F1 season comes to a close, it is highly likely that Haas will end Mick Schumacher's contract at the end of this year. The young German driver has been struggling in his debut stint in F1. He is failing to keep up with his teammate Kevin Magnussen and other lower-midfield drivers.
Since he is the son of the great Michael Schumacher who drove for Mercedes, Toto Wolff expressed how Mick Schumacher is also a part of the Silver Arrows family.
He said:
“I don’t know what the status is with Mick and Haas. But I make no secret of the fact that the Schumacher family belongs to Mercedes and that we value Mick very much.”
Michael Schumacher drove for Mercedes for three years from 2010 to 2012 after his three-year break from driving. Though his return was grand due to his talent and legendary career, his time at the Silver Arrows was anything but.
In those three years, he wasn't able to bag any wins or even pole positions in qualifying. Despite all this, the team still has a close relationship with the Schumacher family, including Mick.
Toto Wolff further mentioned how tricky it is to help Mick Schumacher in this situation as there are no free seats on the F1 grid.
“But first of all, it should be about Mick getting a regular cockpit.”
Several rumors have been going around that Mick Schumacher could become a reserve driver at Mercedes. Of course, nothing can be said for sure until Toto Wolff and the team officially announce anything related to the young German driver.
Mercedes unsure about pace difference between them and other teams, says Toto Wolff
Mercedes dominated the field at the 2022 F1 Brazilian Grand Prix, finishing in P1 and P2. George Russell was over the moon as he grabbed his first F1 win.
Toto Wolff praised both the drivers and briefly talked about the car's pace and how they've been developing it. He was confident that the car would be faster, but was surprised to see the pace difference between the Silver Arrows and other teams.
Toto Wolff said:
"I think we know why we were better, [but] do we know why we were so far ahead of everyone this weekend? We don't."
He further said:
"It is why I think it is just the sum of the parts of the developments that have been brought to the car, the good work that was done on the power unit side, and we've seen the positive trend over the last three races. Are we back in utter domination? No, we are not."
Toto Wolff doesn't believe that the team is at its best. Of course, after their supreme reign before 2021, they expect a much stronger performance.