Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has an incredibly difficult task on his hands trying to replace Lewis Hamilton.
His move to Ferrari took everyone by surprise and with Mercedes struggling to compete at the front of the grid, he decided to move on for the 2025 season.
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In a report from the German outlet Auto Bild, Toto Wolff has already told one driver linked with the seat that he won’t be racing for Mercedes next year.
There are plenty of drivers who have been linked with the role of becoming George Russell’s teammate.
The 26-year-old has been very consistent this season, scoring points at every race except Australia after his crash in the closing stages following Fernando Alonso.
Wolff has now reportedly told Mick Schumacher that he won’t be joining Russell at Mercedes in 2025.
He’s previously described the German as a ‘tremendous’ driver but doesn’t appear to have any interest in bringing him back onto the F1 grid.
Toto Wolff tells Mick Schumacher he won’t be driving for Mercedes in 2025
Lewis Hamilton is the greatest driver in Mercedes’s Formula 1 history and is in the conversation to be the best driver in the sport’s history.
It was always going to be an incredibly difficult task finding his replacement but Mercedes would have believed they had more time to prepare.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli has been the driver touted as his long-term successor, but he’ll only be 18 at the start of 2025 and potentially already racing for Williams.
That means a more senior driver is required, either as a stopgap or as a medium-term challenger to Russell in case Antonelli takes more time to get up to speed in F1 than expected.
The F1 driver market is particularly volatile this year after a season where every team retained their line-up from the end of 2023.
While that could give several rookies the chance to pounce if a driver isn’t pulling their weight, it also means that plenty of drivers further down the grid are putting themselves in the frame to join the German manufacturer.
That looks like it’s going to end Mick Schumacher’s hopes of driving for Wolff’s Mercedes team in 2025.
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s out of the frame to make a return to Formula 1.
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Mick Schumacher could return to Formula 1 away from Mercedes
The report from Auto Bild suggests that Mercedes were pleased with Schumacher after a recent test drive.
He was tasked with trying to help them fix their issues with the Pirelli tyres that has plagued the team for years.
However, Schumacher also reportedly knows that Mercedes ‘doesn’t play a role’ in him returning to F1.
In fact, they report that Wolff has already told Schumacher ‘unequivocally’ that he won’t be driving for Mercedes in 2025.
Mick Schumacher is racing in the World Endurance Championship this season alongside his test driver role at Mercedes and that might lead to an F1 opportunity.
Renault’s CEO is said to be ‘positive’ about the idea of Schumacher potentially joining Alpine next year.
Both Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon are out of contract at the end of the season.
They could open up a spot for Schumacher to add to his 44 Grand Prix weekends.
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