Sebastian Vettel regrets that Mick Schumacher will not be on the Formula 1 grid next year. The four-time world champion argues that Schumacher is someone who "needs a bit more time" and that the environment to grow was not the best for his younger compatriot.

Mick Schumacher had to give up his seat at Haas after two seasons to the returning Nico Hülkenberg. The Haas team thus opted for experience rather than young talent, which came as no surprise after the criticism of Schumacher for the amount of crashes he caused in 2022. Schumacher's mentor Vettel regrets that the 23-year-old German does not have a spot on the grid for 2023.

Surrounding

"Of course it is unfortunate for him that he cannot go straight on next year," said Vettel to ServusTV, who moreover hopes he will find his way back into F1 because he belongs there because of his potential. Haas team boss Günther Steiner explained after the announcement of the departure that Schumacher needed more time, but the American team did not want to wait for that. Vettel agreed that Schumacher is "someone who needs a bit more time" to learn, not only in terms of racing, but also in a good environment. "And I think maybe he didn't have the best environment there," echoes Vettel's criticism of Haas. "So I hope he will come back in the future and find a better place in that sense."

Good learning place

At Mercedes, Schumacher has already found a better environment, albeit in the role of reserve driver. Vettel is confident that Schumacher can learn from the team there, but stresses that this is not the ideal situation. "This is a totally different role. Of course the reserve role is not what you want, because you are not racing. But I think he now has the chance to learn a lot from the team and the drivers. It is up to him to work very hard and return," said the retired four-time world champion.