Mick Schumacher is leaving his role as Mercedes’ reserve driver at the end of the 2024 Formula One season and Valtteri Bottas confirmed Thursday that he is in talks about the position.
Mercedes announced Schumacher’s eventual departure on Thursday. The 25-year-old German then confirmed he “will continue to be part of the Alpine Endurance adventure,” who he competed with this year and was part of the team that scored Alpine’s maiden World Endurance Championship podium in Fuji.
“I am grateful to Toto and the entire Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team for the insight I have gained over these two years. They have undoubtedly made me a more experienced racing driver because I have got to know the engineering side better,” Schumacher said in Mercedes’ news release. “But watching these cars race and not sitting in the cockpit myself is tough. I want to get back to focusing 100% on racing. I want to be fully committed to the sporting side of motorsport. Ultimately, it is racing that you want to do as a driver, it is racing that gives you that feeling you love.”
Schumacher, a Formula Two champion, spent two years on the grid with Haas but never scored a point. He was dropped after the 2022 season, and Mercedes brought him on as its reserve driver in 2023. During his time with the Silver Arrows, he completed numerous tests and simulator sessions. Schumacher was linked to the once-open Alpine F1 seat, but the team’s lineup will be Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan in 2025.
“Mick’s hard work, diligence, and determination in his role as Reserve Driver has been vital for the team over the past two years,” said Mercedes’ team principal Toto Wolff.
“From his work in the simulator, testing of various cars, and being part of the trackside team, we couldn’t have asked for any more from him. From day one, he fitted into the team with ease and has become an incredibly well-liked colleague for everyone at Brackley and Brixworth.
“However, Mick is first and foremost a racing driver. We have seen from both his time in F1, and this year with his performances in the World Endurance Championship, that he is a racer of an incredibly high calibre and one that deserves to be competing in the very best championships. As he moves on to his next challenge, I would like to thank Mick personally for his contribution to our team and we all wish him the very best in his future endeavours.”
Who will fill Schumacher’s shoes remains to be seen.
Bottas, 35, is out of a seat at the end of the 2024 season after Sauber decided to go with Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto for next year’s driver lineup. Bottas previously competed for Mercedes for five seasons, and he said ahead of this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix, “We are talking and it’s going well. Still a bit of work to do, but we’re talking.”
Required reading
- Williams F1 had to replace Logan Sargeant. Why didn’t it turn to Lawson or Schumacher?
- Gabriel Bortoleto to race for Sauber F1 in 2025 as Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu leave team
- Valtteri Bottas’ unexpected F1 contentment: Coffee, cycling, and contract optimism
(Top photo: Clive Mason/Getty Images)
