After Mick Schumacher lost out on his Haas seat in 2022, he didn’t have anywhere to turn to and had to settle for a reserve role at Mercedes. With his F1 career seemingly stalled, he had to talk to his trusted friend and mentor, Sebastian Vettel. The four-time champion’s advice is what helped him get back behind the wheel of a racing car in 2024.
Schumacher will drive for Alpine in the World Endurance Championship (WEC), for which he is currently testing in Qatar. It wasn’t an easy decision to leave the F1 paddock and move to a completely different venture. However, Vettel told him why he should do it.
An experience is what I call this weekend.
I learned so much, not only in these 10 hours but also in these 10 days that we‘ve spent here in Qatar getting ready for this event.
Congratulations to our sister car 35 and the team on a great result. Finishing in the points is… pic.twitter.com/sNdtcqkjOc— Mick Schumacher (@SchumacherMick) March 3, 2024
“We talked about it a couple of times,” Schumacher said according to Gazzetta dello Sport. “So we talked about different things. For me, there was the minimum compromise to make to work in the WEC and Sebastian definitely agreed.”
Schumacher also stated that Vettel was someone he trusted. The former Red Bull driver has been Schumacher’s mentor for a long time, and he turns to experienced people like him in times of need.
Needless to say, Vettel’s advice influenced Schumacher’s decision to join Alpine’s WEC team. Schumacher is trying to find his way back into F1, which will be far from easy. Meanwhile, recent rumors are also pointing towards a potential return to F1 for Vettel himself.
Is Sebastian Vettel returning to F1?
Sebastian Vettel retired from F1 at the end of the 2022 season but has not ruled out a return. Since he is just 36, Vettel has a few years left in him to have one more run in F1.
After Lewis Hamilton’s planned departure to Ferrari in 2025 became official, Vettel started getting linked to the empty Mercedes seat. Earlier this week, there were also reports of Mercedes boss Toto Wolff holding conversations with the former Red Bull driver.
Vettel is one of F1’s best ever and a hugely loved personality within the paddock. Coming out of retirement to drive for a German team for a few more years could be an ideal prospect for him as well.
