Mick Schumacher ‘obvious contender’ to replace struggling driver ‘under threat’ of sack

Jamie Woodhouse 13 Aug 2023 12:15 PM

Mick Schumacher on Mercedes duties in Monaco. Monte Carlo, May 2023.

While Formula 1 correspondent Lawrence Barretto says Williams are doing all they can to support Logan Sargeant, if he does not improve, then Mick Schumacher is the ‘obvious contender’ to replace him.

There was a great deal of intrigue surrounding Sargeant as he joined the F1 2023 grid with Williams, the Florida native arriving at a time where Formula 1 is enjoying a popularity boom in his native United States.

On the track though the Williams Academy graduate is struggling to impress after the step up from Formula 2, with no points yet on the board as he struggles to address the gap in performance between himself and team-mate Alex Albon.

Mick Schumacher threat looms large for Logan Sargeant

Schumacher had, a few months back, been linked with Sargeant’s seat in a mid-season driver swap, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said to be using his strong ties with new Williams boss James Vowles to open the door for Schumacher, who is with Mercedes as their reserve after losing his Haas seat at the end of 2022.

But, while that did not come to pass, with Williams continuing to back Sargeant to come good, Barretto sees this driver change as very feasible for F1 2024 unless Sargeant turns the tide.

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“The British team, who sit seventh in the standings, already have highly-rated Alex Albon tied up for 2024,” Barretto wrote in a piece for thef1的网站.

“On the other side of the garage, rookie Logan Sargeant has had a solid but unspectacular start to life in Formula 1, and knows he needs to up his game to stick around for another season.

“Williams have thrown their collective arm around the American’s shoulders and tried to keep the pressure off him in a bid to help him find a rhythm. They are backing him to succeed and earn a second campaign in blue – but he needs to not only find consistency but also close the gap to Albon, particularly in qualifying, and get himself on the scoreboard.

“If he doesn’t, his seat is under threat. Mick Schumacher would be an obvious contender, having briefly had talks with the team last year and having kept his hand in through his Mercedes reserve role, where he has earned public praise for his efforts from [Lewis] Hamilton and [George] Russell.”

Albon has scored all 11 of Williams’ points so far this season to place them P7 in theConstructors’ standings, level on points with Haas a place behind.