F1 News: Mick Schumacher Confirms His Future In Sport - "I'll Be Back On The Grid"
Mick Schumacher has spoken about his future in F1 and that he is planning to secure a permanent seat for the 2024 season.
It was announced just after the 2022 season that Haas were not extending Mick Schumacher's contract into 2023. It has since been revealed that Schumacher has signed with Mercedes in a reserve driver role.
When some driver's take a reserve driver role, they often look to pick up a seat in another driving role such as IndyCar or Formula E. During an interview with GP Fans, Schumacher explained he was not looking to do this. He said:
“I’m for sure not going to drive anything else as of right now. I’m simply not interested in that.
“If you get the taste of the best there is, you’re not going to settle for anything else and so definitely I’ll be sticking around in the paddock.
“I’m 99 percent sure that I’ll come to every race and yes, just be around and again, position myself into a place where hopefully in ’24 I’ll be back on the grid.”
Schumacher isn't the only driver moving from a permanent seat to a reserve driver role, with Daniel Ricciardo making the same move. It was confirmed part way through the 2022 season that Ricciardo would be parting ways with McLaren at the end of the year. Unfortunately, the Australian driver was not able to secure another permanent seat for the 2023 season but he has signed with Red Bull, who he drove for between 2014 and 2018, for a reserve driver role.
The 2023 season kicks off with the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday 5th March, with pre-season testing in Bahrain the week before.
Fans are eagerly waiting for the new season to start, as well as reliving the 2022 season when it will feature on the next season of Drive To Survive. A release date has not been confirmed yet but it is anticipated to be just before the 2023 Bahrain GP.