20/02/2023
NEWS STORY
Mick Schumacher says he is "not too worried" about returning to the grid in 2024, revealing that there's already been interest shown in his services.
Dropped by Haas in favour of countryman Nico Hulkenberg, Mick Schumacher has found a berth, albeit in a reserve role, at Mercedes.
Though neither Lewis Hamilton or George Russell appears likely to be giving up their seats any time soon, Schumacher can play a vital role in getting Mercedes back to winning form whilst making himself an attractive proposition to potential employers.
Indeed, the youngster, whose father essentially began and ended his racing career with Mercedes, claims to have already had interest from rival teams.
"Obviously no guarantee, but I'm in a comfortable position where I feel I can learn, and I can extract the maximum from this year even though I'm not driving," he told reporters when asked, at Wednesday's launch, if he hopes to be back on the grid next season.
"With the results I've shown in the junior categories, and also in F1, I'm sure there will be opportunities," he added. "Over the winter a few people have already mentioned that there is interest, so in that sense I'm not too worried."
Asked about the year ahead, he said: "I'll still probably take a very similar approach. I will be going into the weekend thinking as if I was going to race, to keep myself sharp.
"Also, because it is a very different year, I will try and see what I can learn from it, take away from this experience, and be as much of a help to the team as I can be.
"Partly because I have the experience of driving, but also, I have the mentality that I know how it is to approach a weekend. I will for sure keep the same approach and keep the excitement at a high."
With just three days of pre-season testing, the youngster won't get to drive the W14, so, other than working in the simulator, how will he contribute to getting Mercedes back to the front?
"Firstly, I do have experience of driving last year's car, which is the new generation," he said. "That means the approaches that I will have in the simulator will be very similar to the ones the racing drivers will have on track.
"In terms of that direct comparison, I will be able to talk about time models, talk about how the car behaves or should behave and therefore will be able to change and adapt the simulator pretty quickly.
"Hopefully with that in mind, we'll be able to give the team reliable feedback, but also a set of options that will work in the track."