Logan Sargeant is experiencing his rookie year in Formula 1 this season. However, it might as well be his last one, too. Amid some frustrating performances, a hefty bill in terms of repairs, and a massive pace deficit to his teammate, the American’s chances of retaining that Williams seat for next year look thin. While the iconic British team evaluates what it wants to do with their rookie, Mick Schumacher has popped up as a choice to fill in for 2024, per F1 Insider.
Last year, Schumacher got the boot at Haas. His plight was not too dissimilar to Sargeant’s. But in the interim, the young German racing ace has been putting in some time perfecting his craft by doing simulator work for teams like Mercedes, as their reserve driver, McLaren, and even Williams.
Schumacher has already been offered to Williams as Toto Wolff actively pursued the matter with old colleague, James Vowles who is now the team principal there. Schumacher’s simulator data was shared with Vowles who after going through it decided to not take Wolff up on his offer.
Mick Schumacher’s future in F1 torn to shreds
Many believe that Schumacher’s ouster from Haas was a tad too brutal. Be that as it may, his two years in F1 and the way the American team gave him the boot has made things very difficult for him in terms of finding a way back into F1.
Ex-racing driver, Christian Danner explained, “In the two years in which he drove in Formula 1, Mick left quite an impression on the Team Principals: ‘Well, we don’t actually need him’. Obviously this has long-term consequences. There is no Team Principal who would have much faith in him now .”
There’s good reason behind Danner’s comments, though. Schumacher’s axing was harsh, no doubt. But he really hasn’t made a compelling argument to keep him around, too. In the 2 years he’s been in the sport, he hasn’t really delivered a benchmark. In 2021, alongside Nikita Mazepin, he shined. But that was expected and he didn’t have a solid driver as a teammate to compare to. When he did get one in Kevin Magnussen last year, he faltered. Hence, the apprehensions Danner mentions.
Mick Schumacher is eyeing glory with Mercedes in 2024
Despite the setbacks, Schumacher is eyeing a future in the sport. He told Mercedes, “In the background, there’s work on my own plans for next year. These are still evolving and it’s just a matter of trying to understand exactly which direction we can go in.”
While an F1 seat is on the horizon, currently, the German is focused on getting Mercedes back to the top. He explained to GPBlog.com, “While my simulator work has mostly focused on W14, there have been plenty of learnings that are also useful for the future. The development of W15 started quite a while ago.”
Schumacher is focused on getting the W15 prepped for glory. In turn, if he can prove his worth, teams will be lining up to sign him on.
