Toto Wolff has admitted it “made little sense” to keep Mick Schumacher around as a Formula 1reserve driver for another season.
The German has been looking for a way back onto the F1 grid ever since he was axed by Haasafter two seasons. He hoped the Mercedesreserve role would keep him in the frame for other race seats but, after two full seasons, he remains out in the cold.
Schumacher chose himself to walk away from his role at the end of the 2024 season. Instead, he is focussed on competitive racing elsewhere, having been retained by Alpine as part of their driver line-up for the 2025 World Endurance Championship.
Team principal Wolff was the one who leapt at the opportunity to sign Schumacher, the son of seven-time F1 champion and former Silver Arrows racer Michael. And he has approved the German’s decision to take his destiny into his own hands and give up the role.
The Austrian said: “He is a really great young man with the right values. He is very intelligent, but unfortunately, he never really got a chance in Formula 1 with the right environment. It has come to a point where the constant waiting makes little sense, and he now wants to race. He will certainly do that very successfully.”
Schumacher’s place will be filled by Valtteri Bottas for the 2025 season. The Finn lost his seat with Sauber and returns to his former team in the hope that he can be more successful than his predecessor was in using a spell as their designated ‘third driver’ to get back onto the F1 grid.
