Where can Mick Schumacher secure an F1 seat in 2024?

Mick Schumacher is on the sidelines, hoping for a seat back in Formula 1 for next season. However, the German does not have many options. Even Toto Wolff indicated that it will be a tough story for his pupil.

Closed door at Red Bull

At the end of 2022, it became clear that Haas did not want to continue with Schumacher. The German was crashing too much and so his more experienced compatriot Nico Hulkenberg was brought in. With two years of F1 experience, Mick has a reasonable CV, but if you get sacked at Haas, your options for the future are limited. Thus, Wolff already stated that it will be very difficult for Mick.

In any case, the door is closed at Red Bull. Helmut Marko revealed that they are not thinking of the German for AlphaTauri. Marko previously rebuked Ralf Schumacher, when Mick's uncle claimed that Marko hated the name Schumacher. According to Marko, it had nothing to do with the name, but Red Bull simply did not take the German because, with two years of experience, he was no longer considered a "young talent". And AlphaTauri is precisely meant for young talents.

AlphaTauri chose Nyck de Vries in 2023. A few years older, but the Dutchman was previously denied a chance in F1. For 2024, Marko is again looking at that kind of option and Red Bull talents Ayumu Iwasa and Liam Lawson are also doing well to put themselves in the spotlight.

Which other teams can we write off? After failing at Haas, we can surely assume that top teams like Red Bull Racing, Ferrari, Mercedes and Aston Martin are not among the options, even if a spot were to become available there. The same goes for Alpine, where Mick was considered for 2023 but was rated less than Pierre Gasly. That will not suddenly be very different for 2024.

McLaren also already has two strong drivers in place and, even in the event of Lando Norris's possible departure, does not seem to simply appoint Schumacher as a replacement. The options that remain as a result are Alfa Romeo, and Williams.

Many competitors for place at Audi

The link with Alfa Romeo has been made before, as the Swiss team will continue under Audi's name from 2026. The German brand would love to put a German driver in the car, but Audi's arrival is still a long way off.

Schumacher does not seem to be the first name on Audi's list either, as bigger names have been linked to the ambitious project in recent times. Carlos Sainz, for instance, is said to be dissatisfied at Ferrari and wants to make a move to a team where he can become the front-runner. Carlos Sainz senior was also successful with Audi, now Carlos would like to emulate that.

Another name linked to Audi is that of Lando Norris. At McLaren, it still remains to be seen whether it can attack the factory teams as a customer team in 2026. At Audi, Norris would join a factory team though, and with Andreas Seidl as CEO and James Key as technical director, McLaren's old group is back there too. With a contract through 2025 at McLaren, Norris might also choose to postpone that decision for a few more years.

Sainz does seem set to leave for the team that will presumably race in F1 again as Sauber in 2024. That would leave one more spot free for Schumacher. There is a chance, but it is not great. Guanyu Zhou makes the team a lot of money and the Chinese has also been performing much more consistently this year. Valtteri Bottas surprisingly seems to be the first who would then have to clear the ship. Despite a contract through 2025, he does not seem to feature in Audi's future plans.

Replacing Albon at Williams

A lot of snags on a deal at Audi, so the gaze goes to Williams. With Alexander Albon, Williams has an ideal front-runner and, with Logan Sargeant, a rookie from America who moved many American sponsors towards Williams. The rookie is not yet performing great, but will be given time by Williams. Williams is also keen to keep Albon, but is that realistic?

After all, with his performance, Albon is impressing and several eyes are on him. Perhaps back to Red Bull Racing as Sergio Perez's replacement, or to Ferrari if a new second man is needed there alongside Charles Leclerc. Albon will also be high on McLaren's list should Norris unexpectedly leave there at all.

Albon has a contract at Williams until 2024, but the team will not stand in his way if he can make such a move. However, it does show the obstacles for Schumacher. At Audi, there are much bigger names named than him and the drivers under contract have long-term contracts or a bag of money for the team. At Williams, Schumacher would depend on a promotion from Albon.

Although Schumacher's name, sponsorship package and attention from the German market make him an interesting name for an F1 team, it will still be difficult for him to get an F1 seat in 2024. He seems to have the best chance at Williams. If Albon leaves there, Wolff is sure to put in a good word with good friend and Williams team boss James Vowles.