Mick Schumacher's Quest for 2024: A Career Reimagined
Aug.28 - Mick Schumacher admits the time has come for his plans for 2024 to become clearer.
At Zandvoort, what did become clear is that the Williams race seat alongside the on-form Alex Albon might be up for grabs, with rookie Logan Sargeant given a mission to up his game.
"You have to earn your place in Formula 1," new team boss James Vowles said at the Dutch F1 GP.
"Logan needs improvements on consistency, the gap to Alex needs to remain the same and shrink over time," he added. "The rate of learning has to increase now.
"He's aware of all that. He knows that in front of him is a career and a journey that's within his power to control."
Given that he was Mercedes' highly rated strategy boss until this year, Vowles is close to Toto Wolff - who now has Mick Schumacher under his wing as Mercedes' high-profile reserve driver.
Schumacher, who lost his Haas race seat after two seasons last year, was also given a track outing for Mercedes-powered McLaren recently.
"He did a great job in the McLaren tests - at least that's what I've heard," Mick's uncle Ralf told Sky Deutschland at Zandvoort.
As for the 24-year-old's chances of returning to the grid next year, Ralf - brother of Mick's legendary father Michael - commented: "Formula 1 is very dynamic. Anything can happen.
"Mick is still in the thick of things, thankfully. He just has to have a little patience."
Mick himself, however, acknowledges that the time is right to be putting his 2024 plans together.
He said at Zandvoort: "I can't give a time horizon yet. I'm still working on it.
"Time is running out a bit, but at the moment I do need to take my time."
A source close to Schumacher thinks a successful return to the grid for Mick would be a perfect way for Wolff to prove Red Bull wrong over its decision to overlook him for an AlphaTauri seat.
"I think Toto wants to bring Mick back to Formula 1 to prove something," the source told Auto Bild. "To prove something also to Red Bull."
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He's chances for next season are effectively non-existent, though, because as Sargeant is clearly in Williams' long-term plans, they'd sack him after a single season only in more extreme circumstances as Williams isn't exactly known to sacking driver hastily.
Merely mentioning AlphaTauri by name is pointless, as he won't move there in any case & would already be there if that option were viable.
Er well they sacked Mansell and Hill straight after they'd won the WDC
Ralf As for Mick , i bet he hasn't done more than a cpl of hours in the car all year, not a good thing after a yr out
Jere, I don't understand your love affair with SAR. I'm American & would love to have a US driver succeed. He is not that driver. In fact, he sucks.
Understand, Vowles is not Claire Williams. Huge improvement or SAR is gone.
Right this minute, MSC is a shoo-in for the Williams seat (see what I did there?) :)
Nothing like that, lol.
I've just been surprised & annoyed by how quickly people become judgmental towards a rookie who had low-ish expectations set on him in the first place & despite the fact rookies generally need time because of how limited testing is in F1 & also the false thinking that Williams would be like Red Bull, i.e., known to hastily sack drivers without giving them time.
Besides, Mick hasn't really even done anything to suggest he'd definitively be an improvement from SAR.
Rb don't sack,they swap (in the main ),BUT if you don't perform your gone, stopwatch never lies, 1st rule match your team mate, So no testing so what, hasn't hurt Mcl new boy much has it..! Anyway said my bit now
PIA is an anomaly.....really good driver with a strong future, but you are correct about progress. IMO, which is worth nothing, MSC in a Williams next season will turn some heads and quiet some doubters. 15th in the Haas last year compares pretty damned well with the current ballyhood journeymen. I know.....I keep hanging on, but I really do believe in the kid. We'll see.
BTW, your stopwatch comment is spot on.
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