Mick Schumacher still a candidate for Audi F1 team

Admin l Monday, October 14, 2024

 

BERLIN – Mick Schumacher can still hope for a Formula One return as he has been named a candidates for a place at the future Audi team by its chief operating officer Mattia Binotto.

Schumacher, the son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, drov in F1 at the Haas team in 2021 and 2022. He is now a Mercedes reserve driver and also competes for Alpine in the Endurance World Championship.

German car makers Audi will fully take over Switzerland-based team Kick Sauber in 2026, and the team offers the only remaining vacancy for 2025.

Binotto told Monday’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that Schumacher is among the candidates to drive alongside Nico Hülkenberg from next year.

“We are considering him as a potential driver. He is on our list,” Binotto said.

“I know Mick’s potential, his strengths and weaknesses. He is a very consistent and generally fast driver, a team player who works hard.”

Former Ferrari team principal Binotto knows Schumacher from their days at the Scuderia where Schumacher was an academy driver.

Binotto said that Schumacher “needs a few laps more on some tracks to get the quickest lap.”

But he named him a “great guy” which was important as well because “you must not only judge the drivers on how fast they are, but also on their attitude.”

Other candidates reportedly include veteran Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou, the two current Sauber drivers.