UNITED KINGDOM: Following his departure from Haas, Mercedes confirmed that Mick Schumacher will take over the reserve driver role in 2023.
Mick Schumacher, the F2 champion in 2020, raced for Haas for two seasons before being replaced by Nico Hulkenberg for 2023. The team wanted Hulkenberg’s vast experience of 181 Grands Prix to help them advance in the middle of the field.
Mick Schumacher joins Mercedes
After learning of Schumacher’s departure from Haas, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff made it clear that he wanted to “look after” the German, pointing to his family’s connections to Mercedes.
Before becoming an F1 driver, Mick’s seven-time champion father, Michael, raced for Mercedes in sportscars and the DTM. He finished his career at the Silver Arrows after spending three years from 2010 to 2012 with them. Meanwhile, Mick’s uncle Ralf and cousin David have also raced for Mercedes in various categories.
Wolff spoke about the confirmation that Schumacher would step up into Mercedes’ reserve role. The team’s two 2022 reserve drivers, Nyck de Vries and Stoffel Vandoorne, found seats at AlphaTauri and Aston Martin (reserve driver), respectively, for next year.
Wolff expressed his delight to welcome Mick to the team, calling him a talented young driver. He praised Mick’s hard-working, calm and systematic approach to F1.
Toto Wolff added that Mick, with two years of experience racing in Formula One under his belt, will be ready to step into the car to replace either Lewis Hamilton or George Russell if needed.
Regarding his new role, Schumacher said he was thrilled to be the reserve driver for the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team in 2023 and pledged to do everything to improve the team’s performance in the “highly competitive” nature of F1.
He termed his alliance with Mercedes as a fresh start and expressed his gratitude to Toto Wolff and everyone involved in his signing. He says he is looking forward to “learning more and putting in his best effort” for the Mercedes team in the “fascinating world” of F1.
Ferrari on Thursday also announced that it will be ending its collaboration with Mick Schumacher, whose father, Michael Schumacher, had won five F1 title with the Italian team.
Also Read: Mercedes Launches AMG-GT2 Race Car with 707 Horsepower
