‘Difficult situation’ as another door closes for Mick Schumacher

Michelle Foster 06 Sep 2023 9:45 AM

Mick Schumacher looking down the pit lane while standing in front of the Mercedes pit wall. Bahrain February 2023

Having revealed he has a “Plan B” should he not find a seat on the 2024 F1 grid, Timo Glock admits Mick Schumacher is in a “difficult situation” and one that’s without much hope.

Although Schumacher is keen to return to the Formula 1 grid next season, the driver speaks with his Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff about his options “almost every day”, even he says it’s not looking promising.

At present only three teams; AlphaTauri, Alfa Romeo, and Williams, have seats open for next season but AlphaTauri have a queue of Red Bull juniors lining up for the job, while Alfa Romeo are said to be deciding between Zhou Guanyu and Theo Pourchaire.

Mick Schumacher is almost out of options for 2024

That leaves Williams, but even they have a driver pencilled in alongside Alex Albon with team boss James Vowles saying current driver Logan Sargeant just needs to make his point, literally, and the seat is his.

As Schumacher put it, “there isn’t much movement at the moment” as most of the drivers “are already set or have a contract that doesn’t expire until the end of next year”.

Toto Wolff conceded “all the doors are closing” for the German, who is now facing another season as Mercedes’ reserve or“Plan B”.

What that Plan B is, the 24-year-old wouldn’t say but his compatriot Glock says maybe it’s time to take it seriously.

“This is a difficult situation at the moment,” Glock toldSky Deutschlandof Schumacher’s hopes of racing in F1 next season, adding that the doors are “all almost closed.

“Of course, there is still the option of joining Williams, but if you look at it realistically, that will be difficult.

“In general, he just has to position himself, keep motivating himself and keep fit, because one of the drivers can always get injured. Then he has to take advantage of his chance and hope that a door might open in 2025.”

但在t已经度过了一个赛季he sidelines, the former Toyota driver says it might be time for Schumacher to consider his other options.

“If there is no opportunity in Formula 1, perhaps he should compete in another championship,” he advised.

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Sky Sports’ Ted Kravitz agrees that if the Williams door doesn’t open for Schumacher,he needs to find another seriesin which to compete.

“Sadly it doesn’t look like Mick Schumacher is going to be back on the grid next year, in which case he’s going to have to find a different series to race in,” he said in his post-Monza notebook.

“He can’t have two years away from racing, that would just really hurt too much for him, but let’s see what happens.

“Maybe there will be a place at Williams because Logan Sargeant had a little bit of a disappointing day today, but let’s see.”