F1 News
Schumacher still hopes for a return to F1: 'I'm not ready to let go of that dream'
Mick Schumacher has made it clear: he wants to return to Formula One. After his contract was ended with Haas in 2022, the driver made the move to the World Endurance Championship with Alpine for 2024. Now, he has told The Independent, the goal is to return to the top motorclass.
Schumacher joined the Ferrari Academy in 2019, before becoming a driver for Haas F1 team in 2021. The German raced for two seasons with the American team before being axed. In 2023, he took on the role of the reserve driver for both Mercedes and McLaren. "Fighting your way back [into F1] is exhausting," Schumacher told The Independent. “You get this cake presented to you which is really good, but you’re not allowed to eat it. And you have to watch everybody else eat it. So it’s tough, for sure, but I know why I’m doing it.”
At the end of his first season in F1, Schumacher finished 19th in the Drivers' Championship. Although 2022 was a better season for the driver, finishing 16th in the championship, he was replaced by Nico Hulkenberg. This weekend, the German driver will be racing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans event, driving for Alpine. This is the team's first endurance competition. Nevertheless, for Schumacher, his goal is to make a return: "F1 has been a dream I’ve had since I was five years old and I’m not ready to let go of that dream, right? Sometimes you feel like you have a chance, then it actually never ends up happening because something else happens. It’s been an emotional rollercoaster and a draining last few years. But I’m working my way back.”
'I'm really hungry for it'
Many teams are still yet to confirm their driver line-ups for 2024, meaning there are seats available on the grid at teams such as Mercedes and Alpine. For the former Haas driver, "any team is a valuable option,". Schumacher said: "Maybe I will start writing my CV and sent it to people. It’s never been a secret, my goal is to be back on the grid. I’ve shown in multiple ways that I am capable of winning championships. It’s just a matter of it fitting into somebody’s schedule.”
"There's a lot which hasn't been seen yet, especially from a driving point of view. I understand how I could have improved [at Haas], and there’s a lot more to show from my side. As for me, I’m really hungry for it. I just need to keep performing in WEC, showing everybody what I can do. Then people will know what they get if they hire me, and hopefully I’ll be able to prove to everybody that they made the wrong decision in not keeping me,” he concluded.