Mick Schumacher may lean towards testing with McLaren this year, shifting away from earlier expectations of trials with Alpine or Mercedes.
Reassuming his role as Mercedes F1’s official reserve driver for the 2024 season, the former Haas racer is also slated to hit the track with Alpine’s Le Mans-capable world endurance championship hypercar.
However, Alpine’s boss, Bruno Famin, downplayed the likelihood of F1 tests for the 24-year-old German in 2024, stating, “That wouldn’t work at all. We already have a reserve driver in Jack Doohan. Mick is Mercedes’ F1 reserve driver.”
On the flip side, Mercedes chief Toto Wolff is backing a new rising star – 17-year-old Kimi Antonelli, who is seen as a top contender to possibly succeed Lewis Hamilton next year.
Despite F1 testing regulations, teams are permitted to use two-year-old cars, allowing Antonelli to partake in an extensive program with Mercedes’ 2022 car later this year.
“It won’t happen until late summer,” Wolff explained, considering the age requirement for the mandatory FIA super license.
“But we will run a large test program with him and then see whether he is ready for 2025 or 2026. Or a different situation arises,” Wolff added.
“The market with current drivers is also incredibly strong because really strong people are becoming available. We’re looking at it, and there will be an initial assessment after Melbourne,” Wolff disclosed to Sport am Sonntag.
As for Schumacher, he remains determined about his F1 prospects, incorporating into his new Alpine WEC contract the possibility to switch back to F1 if an opportunity arises.
“It has been agreed that I will drive in Formula 1 if necessary and possible,” he told SID news agency.
“I’m following everything very closely, but ultimately, I can only recommend myself again for a cockpit with good performance.”
Although the F1 testing pathway seems limited at Alpine and Mercedes, another opportunity awaits at McLaren, which will also field a 2022-spec car for testing this year.
“If Mick needs kilometers to get used to Formula 1 again, we can offer him a car,” McLaren CEO Zak Brown assured Auto Motor und Sport. “We are working closely with Mercedes.”
