Mick Schumacher finds himself on the Formula 1 sidelines for the second consecutive year. He hasn’t received a satisfactory offer from another team since Haas let him go at the end of 2022.
He earned a seat with the American team for the 2021 campaign off the back of winning the F2 title. However, the VF-21 wasn’t a car that allowed him to showcase his talents.
Neither he nor teammate Nikita Mazepin were able to score a point over the course of the season. In this context, he was always going to be judged on his performance relative to his teammate, and he was utterly dominant.
With a 20-2 record in qualifying and a 16-6 edge in the races, Schumacher kept his drive for the following year alongside Kevin Magnussen. But predictably, he found life more difficult up against a vastly more experienced driver.
While he actually finished ahead of Magnussen in the majority of races, it was the Dane who delivered the team’s big results. He scored 25 points to Schumacher’s 12.
Haas then took the decision to replace him with Nico Hulkenberg, clearly favouring the veteran presence. Schumacher has been carrying out a reserve role with Mercedes, but there’s little chance of Toto Wolff offering him a lifeline.
Alpine now an option for Mick Schumacher
Alongside his Mercedes duties, Schumacher has been representing Alpine in the World Endurance Championship this year. And F1-Insider say Bruno Famin has been ‘extremely impressed’ with his performances.
The team principal sees him as a possible ‘option’ for the 2025 season and he could soon put him through his paces. Alpine may schedule a private test in two-year-old F1 machinery.
Renault CEO Luca de Meo, the ultimate authority at the team, is ‘positive’ about the idea. He believes signing Schumacher could help the brand in the German market, having already seen the benefits of his father Michael winning the title in a Benetton-Renault in 1995.
The 25-year-old has told the publication that he’s determined to return to F1. And he may now have a route to doing so.
Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly could both leave Alpine
The reason Alpine are looking at other drivers is that both Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly could leave. They’re ‘exploring their options’ amid frustration at the team’s decline.
Last year, the duo combined for 120 points, but they’ve only been able to scrape one in the first six races of 2024. Schumacher will also be wary of the upheaval behind the scenes, with key figures like CEO Laurent Rossi and team principal Otmar Szafnauer leaving in the past year.
Ocon’s manager and Mercedes team principal Wolff apparently wants to place him at Williams for 2025. That could open up a vacancy at Enstone.
If Schumacher does carry out a test for the team, he’ll simply have to deliver to fend off the competition. The team are also looking at Zhou Guanyu, who may lose his seat to Hulkenberg at Sauber, and they could promote academy driver Jack Doohan too.
It’s even emerged this week that Carlos Sainz could be an option. Sainz, who raced for the team under their former guise of Renault, is leaving Ferrari to make room for Lewis Hamilton but would need some convincing.
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