Mercedes may give Mick Schumacher lifeline to save F1 career

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has hinted that Mick Schumacher could be given a role within the team next year after it was reported that he will be dropped by Haas at the end of the season. The 23-year-old has struggled to impress over the course of the campaign after gaining a crash-happy reputation and looks set to be replaced by Nico Hulkenberg at Haas from 2023 onwards.The news is expected to be announced at this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, according to Bild, with Haas team principal Guenther Steiner and owner Gene Haas said to have decided Schumacher’s fate over the last few days. However, Wolff has suggested that Schumacher could be drafted into a reserve role at Mercedes by speaking of his admiration for the German hopeful, telling reporters: “I make no secret of the fact that the Schumacher family belongs to Mercedes and that we appreciate Mick very much.”The Silver Arrows are believed to be on the lookout for a new test and reserve driver ahead of next season and have also been linked with a move for Daniel Ricciardo, who is leaving McLaren at the end of the campaign after his contract was cut short by the historic British outfit. The prospect of employing their first German driver since Nico Rosberg could be an intriguing one for Mercedes, though, as they look to finalise their line-up for the new year over the coming weeks.Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will, of course, reprise their usual roles for Mercedes in 2023 but are yet to be joined by a reserve driver, with Nyck de Vries and Stoffel Vandoorne poised to leave the team before the new season gets underway. However, it remains to be seen whether Schumacher will be the chosen one after Wolff refused to rule out the possibility of signing Ricciardo when quizzed on the topic earlier this month.JUST IN: Lewis Hamilton had retirement fears after Max Verstappen crash Mick Schumacher has been linked with a reserve role at Mercedes next year (Image: GETTY)”Daniel is speaking to a few teams about a potential role, also with Red Bull,” revealed the Austrian. “For us, we very much like him, he’s a great character, but we are not in a position to decide who’s going to be the third driver.”[He would bring] personality and he’s been around for a long time, he knows these cars inside out and that can be really advantageous. But I don’t want to put any rumours out there because we haven’t decided.”DON’T MISSChristian Horner weighs in on Max Verstappen penaltyKarun Chandhok gives reason for Max Verstappen ignoring ordersMax Verstappen suggests Sergio Perez bad blood in Red Bull meeting Haas are expected to announce Schumacher’s departure before this weekend’s race in Abu Dhabi (Image: EXPRESS)Meanwhile, German reporter Michael Schmidt recently insisted that the decisions to be made over the futures of Ricciardo and Schumacher will be linked in some way, with the latter seemingly at a crossroads in F1 given the last-minute nature of his expected departure from Haas.”Ricciardo has already settled for a reserve driver role,” Schmidt told Auto Motor und Sport. “Schumacher will have to consider this possibility in the event of a negative decision from his team. It’s also no secret talks have already taken place in both cases.”For Schumacher, a reserve driver contract with a team that’s third in the championship would not be a step backwards but sideways. He may learn more there than with a small team in racing.”Follow our new Express Sport page on Instagram here.