Mick Schumacher admits he may have “clung too tightly” to his dream of returning to the Formula 1 grid.
After losing his Haas seat at the end of 2022, Schumacher spent two seasons as Mercedes‘ full-time reserve driver, waiting for an opportunity to return to racing at the top level.
However, for 2025, he has been replaced by Valtteri Bottas in the reserve role, leaving the 25-year-old to focus exclusively on his World Endurance Championship (WEC) project with Alpine.
“I decided at the age of 11 that I wanted to be in Formula 1,” Schumacher told Bild am Sonntag newspaper. “That is still my goal. F1 was and is my lifelong dream.
“I still have a score to settle with Formula 1 and want to prove myself there once again.”
Despite his unwavering ambition, Schumacher now acknowledges that his fixation on securing a return to the F1 grid may have held him back.
I realised that I clung too tightly to Plan A in the past,” he admitted. “I should also have thought about what Plan B and Plan C would look like.
“I have realised that now, and I’m happy about it.”
Schumacher believes that stepping away from Formula 1 in 2025 will give him a fresh perspective.
“I see this as a chance for reorientation,” he said, adding that it’s “good that I have some distance from Formula 1.”
However, he remains adamant that he has the ability to compete at the highest level.
“Everyone who drives in Formula 1 has talent, there’s no question about it,” he said.
“But when I look at the grid, I have no doubt that I could keep up. I’m no worse than them.”
He also maintains that the perception of him as a crash-prone driver during his time at Haas was unfair.
Schumacher concluded by insisting he was “wrongly labelled” during his two seasons in Formula 1.
