Mick Schumacher as Hamilton’s replacement? According to his uncle, it’s possible. What did Ralf say about Mick?

Mick Schumacher as a future replacement for Lewis Hamilton? That’s more than likely, according to his uncle and former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher. In any case, the son of the famous legend will be the third or reserve driver at Mercedes in the 2023 season.

Mick Schumacher has not had the best season. For the son of the famous legend, the 2022 season was his second in the queen of motorsport, although 2021 was not very representative due to the truly terrible performance of Haas.

In the 2022 season, Mick had a great chance to score his first points in the inaugural Bahrain Grand Prix. But he ended up finishing eleventh, a single position away from a points-scoring tenth place. But after that, it was a sporting disaster.

Schumacher made plenty of mistakes, culminating in the now-famous two big crashes in Saudi Arabia and Monaco, both of which cost the American stable roughly $2.5 million. The German driver was almost a financial liability for Haas at the time.

But then came the turning point, an unlucky elimination in Canada and finally his first points in the British Grand Prix (8th place). This position was then improved in the following race at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, where Schumacher finished sixth.

In the second half of the season, the young driver began to beat his experienced teammate Kevin Magnussen, who was taking a break from F1 in 2021. However, Mick did not score any more points and was eventually beaten in the final showdown by the Danish driver.

Magnussen finished 13th in the final Drivers’ Championship standings with 25 points, with Schumacher up to 16th with 12 points. Haas thus decided at the end of the 2022 season that it did not want to continue with the German driver and he found himself without a commitment.

Did it all turn out well in the end?

In the end, things didn’t turn out as badly for Mick as originally predicted. For the 2023 season, he joined Mercedes, where he will serve as a third or reserve driver. In the end, it looks like a decent opportunity for him. Why?

Mick will be able to work with a large and experienced team, train on the simulator and, in short, develop with the help of the most competent people. His uncle Ralf Schumacher, moreover, came up with the idea a few dozen hours ago that he could eventually replace seven-time champion Hamilton.

The move to Mercedes as a reserve driver was seen as a stopgap, as he could return to the grid at Audi or another mid-tier team in the future.

However, Ralf believes that an opportunity could arise for him at Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton’s contract expires at the end of 2023.

Statement from Ralf Schumacher

“This is a great opportunity for Mick. He can look over the shoulder of a top team at work and learn a lot,” Ralf said in an interview with Germany’s Sport1.

“And he’s not just a development driver, where he can certainly help Mercedes get back to the top in the simulator.As a reserve driver, he has to replace a regular driver in case he drops out. Inthe last three years we have experienced this situation more often,” explains Mick’s uncle.

“An Audi would certainly make sense. For Mick and for Audi. But something could happen at Mercedes, ” he added.

Ralf then added that if George Russell is faster next season, Hamilton will consider ending his career. However, it should be noted here that Mick’s uncle’s prediction is indeed bold from an objective point of view. Although anything can always happen in Formula One.

Sources: F1, Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1, Sport1