“We will try to employ German drivers”: $1 million a year Mick Schumacher linked to Audi works team who join F1 in 2026

Audi works F1 team is reportedly interested in signing Mick Schumacher to their team when they enter the sport in 2026. 

Earlier today, Audi announced that they will officially enter F1 in 2026. Sauber, who are currently on the grid as Alfa Romeo racing will become Audi Works F1 team which will start a new era in the company’s history.

Audi will become Sauber’s strategic partner in their program and the Swiss outfit will use their power units once the current engine freeze is over. Both parties are looking forward to this partnership, and believe that they can get the best out of each other in order to become successful in F1.

Another thing about Audi’s arrival that has excited fans is their potential driver line-up. They announced that they have already had talks with Haas’ Mick Schumacher, which will be a huge addition because of his popularity. They insist that their priority is to have German drivers on their team. The company’s main aim is to compete with its long-time rival Mercedes.

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Germany is Audi and Mick Schumacher’s home country

Audi having German drivers promises to be a huge commercial boost for them. Having drivers of the same nationality as the team always helps, since the home fans feel more connected to them. Alpine is a team that has used this to their advantage, as the French outfit will have two French drivers (Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon) in their line-up for 2023.

“We will try to employ German drivers in our two teams for sure,” the CEO of Volkswagen (Audi’s parent company) group said. “For Audi, it is the best case for F1 because, for the brand itself, there is so much potential.”

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Where will Schumacher be in 2023?

Currently, Haas are the only team in F1 who are yet to confirm their driver line-up for 2023. Kevin Masgnussen’s place in the American team is confirmed, but Schumacher’s future is up in the air.

Schumacher, who earns $1 million a year at Haas, was subject to heavy criticism earlier this season. It took a lot of time for him to get up to speed and made multiple errors in the early stages. These errors often resulted in very expensive crashes and it made team owner Gene Haas publicly question his ability.

Schumacher was linked to the Williams seat for a long time, but now that Logan Sargent’s move is all but confirmed, the German’s only remaining option is Haas. Whether the Kannapolis-based outfit decide to keep him or not is yet to be seen.