Mick Schumacher handed lifeline by Williams with F1 future in doubt

Williams boss Jost Capito has confirmed that the team are ‘definitely’ considering Mick Schumacher to drive for them in 2023.

Schumacher’s Formula 1 career is in jeopardy with his current deal at Haas set to expire at the end of the season and the chances of a contract extension are growing increasingly unlikely.

Haas boss Guenther Steiner has previously stated that the young German’s future at the American team is ’50/50′, with former Force India and Renault driver Nico Hulkenberg being touted as a potential replacement.

Ex-Alfa Romeo driver Antonio Giovinazzi, McLaren racer Daniel Ricciardo and Ferrari academy prospect Robert Schwartzman are also reportedly in the running to partner Kevin Magnussen.

However, even if Schumacher’s Haas stint is over his F1 career may yet continue, with the son of seven-time champion Michael Schumacher on Williams’ shortlist to replace Nicholas Latifi.

‘Mick deserves to stay in Formula 1. We’ll see if that happens, but he’s definitely an option for us,’ Capito told RTL.

‘[A Schumacher in a Williams] would certainly be charming.

‘[He could] really come forward and be a very good driver in Formula 1. He’s now in his second year, if you look at George Russell, he made mistakes as a sophomore at Williams and he still developed.’

Schumacher has endured a tough time in F1 so far after being stuck with a woeful car in his rookie season last year.

And while 2022’s VF-22 is a much better machine, the 23-year-old has struggled to make the most of the opportunity, finishing in the points in just two of the 17 races so far this campaign, though he has gradually begun to outperform teammate Magnussen.

Though he has underwhelmed somewhat, Schumacher will be a very tempting prospect for Williams especially given how the other contenders may not be available for 2023.

Reserve driver Nyck de Vries, who excelled on his debut for Williams in Italy last month, was the favourite for the seat but he is also wanted by AlphaTauri as a replacement for Alpine-linked Pierre Gasly.

Formula 2 star Logan Sargeant is well-liked by Capito but lacks experience and may not yet qualify for the superlicense required to race in F1, but the Williams boss claimed they are in no rush to make a decision.

‘It’s not just our fault, other teams are also quite interested in Nyck de Vries,’ Capito added.

‘You have to see what he decides. We cannot and do not want to decide just yet. If he decides to join another team beforehand, then so be it.

‘Most likely, it will be decided for us after the season. I think it should be the case shortly after Abu Dhabi [the last race] or a week or two later.

‘The whole market is on the move, something changes every day. We didn’t put any pressure on ourselves.  But that doesn’t mean we can’t decide if we wanted to beforehand.’

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