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Paddock Insider Reckons Mick Schumacher Could Return to the Track Very Soon

Anirban Aly Mandal
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Paddock Insider Reckons Mick Schumacher Could Return to the Track Very Soon

With growing speculation about Logan Sargeant’s future with Williams in 2024, former McLaren mechanic, Marc Priestley believes that Mick Schumacher will be drafted in mid-season to replace the American driver. Priestley explained that Schumacher will be the preferred option over other candidates like Red Bull junior, Liam Lawson.

After Sargeant’s mighty shunt during FP3 at the 2024 Dutch GP, it seems that team principal, James Vowles has run out of patience. The #2 driver’s crash was the second expensive repair bill he’s put up for Williams. Sargeant had previously crashed during the Japanese GP weekend causing extensive damage to his FW46.

Sargeant could be replaced as soon as the Italian GP next week. Priestley, who is well-versed with the dynamics of the F1 paddock, explained on his YouTube channel, “I suspect that it is going to be Mick Schumacher coming in until the end of the season.” 

The Briton went on to say that for Schumacher, it would be the perfect chance to audition for a full-time seat in the near future. The German driver has been out of the sport since 2022 after Haas sacked him.

Lawson is a Red Bull junior — who might also be in the midst of a mid-season change at the Milton-Keynes-based outfit if Sergio Perez’s performances don’t match up. Hence, Williams will not be ready to consider a driver they might have to give up anyway when he is called back by his parent team, as per Priestley.

Red Bull ready to lend Lawson to Williams

Red Bull are not averse to the idea of loaning Lawson out to the iconic British team. Team advisor, Helmut Marko recently said that the team will not stand in the way of such a move if it gives Lawson the experience he needs. Perez seems to have the backing of the Bulls at least till the end of the season and hence, a mid-season switch at Red Bull is highly unlikely.

Kimi Antonelli is also being suggested as a driver who could be drafted into Williams for the remaining nine races this season. However, Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff has dismissed those ideas as he has plans for the Italian prodigy.

Antonelli will continue with the testing program laid out for him before a potential step up to F1 next year with the Silver Arrows.

Post Edited By:Aishwary Gaonkar

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal

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Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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