F1 Rumour: Logan Sargeant To Lose Seat To Mick Schumacher
Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, is rumoured to be working on bringing Mick Schumacher back to Formula 1. Schumacher, who is currently serving as a reserve driver for Mercedes in 2023, is eager to return to the competitive racing scene after parting ways with Haas at the end of the 2022 season.
While Schumacher has spoken positively about his reserve role at Mercedes and the valuable insights gained from observing the team's engineers alongside Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, he ultimately aspires to secure a Formula 1 racing seat once again.
According to a report from Sport1, Wolff has taken up the challenge of making Schumacher's Formula 1 comeback a reality. With the highly competitive nature of the 20 available seats on the grid, Wolff is utilising his connections beyond Mercedes to pave the way for his reserve driver.
Wolff is no stranger to the Williams team, having previously owned shares in the team. Additionally, he shares a close relationship with James Vowles, the current team principal of Williams, who formerly served as Mercedes' long-standing strategy chief.
Sport1 suggests that Wolff is attempting to persuade Vowles to consider giving Schumacher a seat at Williams, potentially replacing their F1 2023 rookie, Logan Sargeant. Although Sargeant showed promise at the beginning of his first F1 campaign, his performance has waned since then, while his teammate Alex Albon has delivered notable performances. This has led to Sargeant being seen as a flight risk for Williams.
Recent incidents, such as a collision with AlphaTauri's Nyck de Vries in Melbourne and a crash in the Sprint Shootout qualifying session in Baku, have left Sargeant and De Vries as the only drivers yet to score a point in the F1 2023 season.
The potential reconsideration of Sargeant's future with Williams signifies a swift change in his fortunes. Vowles previously overlooked Sargeant during his time at Mercedes, but the Florida native has proven himself since then, earning the support and investment of Williams.
Vowles admitted his initial hesitation and acknowledged his mistake, saying, "So it just shows you that in my previous life I was wrong. And Williams right.""