Mick Schumacher’s chances of returning to Formula 1 are looking slim, with his uncle, Ralf Schumacher, saying that it seems “rather unrealistic” unless Mick takes a reserve driver role.
However, even that isn’t guaranteed, as Mercedes, where Mick has been a reserve driver since 2023, is expected to re-sign Valtteri Bottas after Bottas and Sauber failed to agree on terms for F1 2025.
Mick has spent two years away from the F1 grid after being dropped by Haas at the end of the 2022 season. He had hoped to return to racing next season, and several teams were said to be interested in him.
However, one by one, those teams signed other drivers. Jack Doohan joined Alpine, Kimi Antonelli took the Mercedes seat, and now Gabriel Bortoleto has joined Sauber.
With no options left, even Mick’s current reserve driver role at Mercedes is not certain, as the team has hinted on social media that Bottas could return. Ralf Schumacher believes Mick’s chances in F1 are now very unlikely.
“Formula 1 is a crazy business,” Ralf told Sky Deutschland. “The question is, who will be the substitute driver where? Or will he now concentrate on his long-distance career? Unfortunately, Formula 1 is rather unrealistic for Mick, unless someone drops out due to illness.”
The latest setback for Mick came when he found out through a social media post that he had lost out on the Alpine seat to Doohan. Despite the disappointment, Ralf believes Mick can handle the decision and move on.
“Mick has had to go through a lot recently,” Ralf said. “Among other things, he found out from Alpine via a post that he wasn’t in the car. He is certainly disappointed, but he can deal with the decision.”
Mick is now expected to stay in the World Endurance Championship, where he raced for Alpine this season and helped the team achieve its first podium in their new hypercar project.
The 2025 F1 grid is starting to take shape, with several new drivers confirmed. In addition to Bortoleto, Jack Doohan, Kimi Antonelli, and Oliver Bearman will also be racing in F1 next season. Liam Lawson is expected to race for either Red Bull or VCARB, and Franco Colapinto is rumored to take the seat that becomes vacant after the Lawson decision.
Ralf Schumacher has supported Sauber’s decision to sign Gabriel Bortoleto, the current leader of the Formula 2 championship. He believes Bortoleto’s track record, including winning Formula 3 and leading F2, makes him a great choice for the team.
“I think it’s good that the team is going down a new path with a young driver who won Formula 3 and is currently leading Formula 2. That’s a similar level to Oscar Piastri,” Ralf said. “A driver has to assert himself and then not allow himself to make any mistakes, like Max Verstappen.”
Ralf also pointed out that Sauber currently has a very difficult car, which could make Bortoleto’s job even harder. He added that rumors suggest a large part of the team was sold to Qatar for financial reasons, which may have influenced the decision to go with Bortoleto.
He thinks that pairing Bortoleto, a talented young driver, with the experienced Nico Hulkenberg will be a strong combination.
After Sauber confirmed Bortoleto, Audi F1’s chief Mattia Binotto was asked why they chose the McLaren junior over Mick Schumacher. Binotto explained that although Schumacher was a strong candidate, the decision ultimately came down to Bortoleto.
“We had several talks, he was certainly a strong candidate,” Binotto said. “I know him very well from the past and I know his strengths and maybe his weaknesses as well, but certainly, I think he would have been a good choice.”
He added that many candidates were considered, including Mick, but they made the decision to go with Gabriel. Binotto also suggested that the same question could be asked of Mercedes: why choose Kimi Antonelli over Mick?
“At some time you need to make a decision,” Binotto said. “So today, we made the decision to employ and hire Gabriel, and we are happy.”
