Wolff warns Schumacher: return to F1 is more difficult | FormulaPassion

Few places available

Mick Schumacher’s future in Formula 1 appears hanging by a thread. This was directly hinted at by the Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, who last winter put the German son of art under contract, agreeing to entrust him with the role of third driver for the Brackley team after the dismissal suffered by Haas at the deadline of 2022 and the simultaneous separation from the Ferrari Academy.

On stage in Spain

Today Schumacher Jr. is the protagonist on the Catalan track of Barcelona, ​​where he is taking part in day-2 of the tests on the new tires for the 2024 season organized by Pirelli. For the 2020 F2 champion, this is an important opportunity to get behind the wheel of the real W14, after so many kilometers spent on the simulator. Yet the future for the class of ’99 seems anything but rosy.

Looking for space

Despite Mercedes’ willingness to help him return to the grid as a starter – as, for example, happened to Esteban Ocon after a one-year break in 2019 – few doors are open for Schumacher, especially in the customer teams in Brackley which have almost all the places occupied also with a view to 2024. This complexity was confirmed by Wolff himself, who speaking on the microphones of the German site SportBild imagined that Mick will probably have to wait until 2025 to hope to return to racing.

Pessimistic Wolff

“It’s a difficult situation – admitted the Viennese manager, thinking about the next Formula 1 driver market – I too would like Mick to find a starting seat. He deserves it. But the situation in 2024 is unfavorable. Only in 2025 will some doors open again”. The Anglo-German team itself is currently engaged in negotiations for the renewal of the contract with Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion is about to expire, but he seems destined to extend his departure in the black-silver team at least until the end of 2024.