Mick Schumacher is currently spending the 2023 season as a Mercedes reserve driver. However, things could have been very different for him, with AlphaTauri labeling him as their favorite while looking for a Pierre Gasly replacement. Unfortunately for Schumacher, Red Bull blocked the move and decided to opt for Nyck De Vries instead.
When Sebastian Vettel announced his retirement from F1 and Fernando Alonso joined Aston Martin to replace him, it kickstarted a domino effect. It involved Gasly choosing to move to Alpine after being under the Red Bull umbrella for the entirety of his career up until then. With a spot free in AlphaTauri, and Haas deciding to let go of Schumacher, a lot of eyes turned towards the young German to fill the void left behind by Gasly.
However, the silly season did not end up being kind to Schumacher. Red Bull wanted an experienced racing driver to partner up with Yuki Tsunoda at their sister team. Hence, they went ahead with 2019 F2 champion Nyck De Vries.
Helmut Marko chose De Vries over Mick Schumacher for “personal reasons”
Schumacher’s short F1 career didn’t earn him many admirers in the paddock. While he did show flashes of brilliance, reminiscent of his legendary father, the 24-year-old had a very underwhelming stint with Haas, highlighted by his huge crashes, especially during his second year with the team. He was adamant that even though Haas discarded him, Schumacher was a talent for the ages.
The team principal of AlphaTauri, Franz Tost, on the other hand, followed Schumacher’s career very closely. As reported by Motorsport Total, however, Red Bull chose De Vries over him, an investment that hasn’t paid off till now. The Dutchman has struggled immensely to adapt to life in F1.
In an interview with Formel1.de, Schumacher’s uncle Ralf, even admitted that it was Helmut Marko, who wanted De Vries for “personal reasons”.
Does Marko have a problem with the Schumacher name?
Ralf Schumacher is not a stranger to rifts with different team bosses in F1. The brother of legendary driver Michael Schumacher was often in the news because of his verbal battles with Haas team boss Guenther Steiner. However, last month, he called Red Bull’s chief advisor Helmut Marko out for having a problem with his family name.
Marko immediately dismissed any suggestions that pointed towards him not hiring Schumacher because of his surname. In another interview with Formel.de, Marko clears things out with Schumacher, and insists he has no issues with them whatsoever.
Schumacher is currently without a seat in F1, but is not away from the spotlight. The Genolier-born driver is currently fulfilling reserve duties in Mercedes, and made his debut by driving 152 laps around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya earlier this week in a testing session.
