Mick Schumacher appears poised to make a comeback in Formula 1 after Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari.
Esteban Ocon believes that Mick Schumacher deserves another chance in Formula 1 following his unsuccessful two-year stint at Haas. There is speculation that the Mercedes reserve driver could replace Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari.
Schumacher struggled to make progress after a somewhat promising debut season in F1 in 2022. He partnered with Kevin Magnussen, but ended the season with less than half the points of his teammate.
Despite being involved in several significant crashes, Schumacher will now combine his testing duties with Mercedes with a full-time role at Alpine in car #36 of the World Endurance Championship. He spent a year on the sidelines at Brackley.
“Yes,” Ocon told the media at Alpine’s F1 and WEC launch. “He definitely deserves a place in Formula 1. He has proven himself by winning the Formula 3 and Formula 2 championships. He has spent two years in the midfield car, and it takes time to prove oneself in F1. He is one of the most talented drivers out there and he deserves it.”
Throughout his junior career, Schumacher has shown a tendency to excel in his second year in a series. He finished 12th in both European F3 and F2 before winning both championships a year later. However, his first year at Haas was largely wasted due to the uncompetitive car.
He showed improvement alongside Magnussen in the second half of 2022, despite a costly crash at Suzuka. However, by then, his relationship with team principal Guenther Steiner had already deteriorated.
Schumacher left the Ferrari Driver Academy to join Mercedes, but his agreement with Alpine means that he is now racing for his father Michael’s former team.
“It’s fantastic for the Alpine Endurance team,” Ocon added. “Having Mick brings a lot of experience and expertise. He is a very talented driver. I hope they win Le Mans this year and I want to see Mick back in Formula One soon.”
Ocon expressed his desire for a driver to consider participating in both F1 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, suggesting that it could lead to more attempts at the dual challenge in the future.
According to the Source formula1news.co.uk