F1 News: AlphaTauri Chief Reveals He Wanted Mick Schumacher For 2023 Seat
Franz Tost, AlphaTauri team principal, has revealed that his first choice for their second seat was Mick Schumacher.
Talks between Pierre Gasly and Alpine began in the summer break of the 2022 season and so Tost became aware that the Frenchman was wanting to leave the AlphaTauri team. At this point, nothing had been confirmed for Schumacher's future with Haas but it was looking uncertain.
During an interview with RTL, Tost explained that he would have "liked to have Mick in the car". He said:
"Mick is talented and also has what it takes to drive successfully in Formula 1.
"I would have actually liked to have had Mick in the car."
It was only revealed at the end of the season that Haas were not extending Schumacher's contract and so he was up for grabs with other teams and has now signed with Mercedes as a reserve driver for 2023.
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko was more keen on having Dutch driver, Nyck de Vries, in the AlphaTauri seat. De Vries is a Formula E and Formula 2 champion and will be starting his rookie season with the team this year.
Dr Vries will be driving alongside Yuki Tsunoda in 2023. There are many people backing De Vries in his rookie season after his outstanding performance at the Italian Grand Prix in 2022 when he stood in for Alex Albon last minute.
Rumours have already started circulating that if De Vries can show the right performance in 2023 he could be promoted to Red Bull, putting Sergio Perez's seat at risk.
Although Schumacher is taking a year as a reserve driver, he is keen to push his way back into a permanent seat for the 2024 season, similar to Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo who is a reserve driver for Red Bull this year.