Franz Tost would have seen himself well with Mick Schumacher at AlphaTauri in 2023

Asked about the Mick Schumacher file, who joined Mercedes as a reserve driver, Franz Tost admitted that he would have seen the German playing at AlphaTauri in 2023.

Published on 22/01/2023 à 10:23

Jeremy Satis

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Franz Tost would have seen himself well with Mick Schumacher at AlphaTauri in 2023

Franz Tost would not have been against offering Mick Schumacher a contract in 2023. © Antonin Vincent / DPPI

This is always good support to take when you find yourself in a situation of Mick Schumacher. Especially when the words come from a team principal used to building young drivers and instilling in them what it takes to become successful champions. In an interview with German media RTL, Franz Tost indeed gave his support to the young German driver who won the Formula 2 in 2020 which was released by Haas after two years of F1 where he alternated between the rather good and the less good. 

“Actually, I would have seen myself with Mick in the car”, said Franz Tost. “I would have liked to have it”. Implicitly, the Austrian explains in particular that Mick was a protégé Ferrari, with whom he studied, and that this is necessarily a factor which could have made things more complicated. Also, the formalization of the replacement of Mick Schumacher by Nico Hulkenberg at Haas came after the contract extension of Yuki tsunoda and the announcement of the arrival of Nyck de Vries à Faenza (Italy). 

Tost believes Mick Schumacher has everything it takes to succeed in F1

However, it is difficult to consider Franz Tost's words as real regrets, since Mick's dotted future for 2023 was written well before the recruitment of Nyck De Vries, which gave the clan time Red Bull/AlphaTauri to ask the question of a possible signing of the German. Tost, who knew Michael Schumacher in the paddock, surely simply wants to provide media support to Mick, in order to allow him to bounce back as best as possible. 

Mick Schumacher

Mick Schumacher hopes to bounce back at Mercedes. © Antonin Vincent / DPP I

Franz Tost therefore said to himself “convinced that Mick is talented and has everything it takes to drive successfully in Formula 1”. As a reminder, the young German was able to compete in 2022 in the race with Kevin Magnussen, whom he even beat more often on Sunday (10-6 for Schumacher in the Grands Prix finished by both men), but he was far from the mark in terms of points (12 to 25), the Dane achieving a top 5 and securing a historic pole position in Brazil.  

Mick Schumacher is preparing to bounce back at Mercedes, where he was signed as a reserve driver this year. “It’s a very, very good team, one of the best in Formula 1, so of course he will have a lot to learn there”, rejoiced the Austrian.

For his part, Mick recently declared that he could become world champion one day, even if he was in the right car at the right time. Before thinking about a return to the wheel in 2024, which is his clear objective, he will first have to prove himself indispensable at Mercedes as a reserve, and help in his own way the return of the star to the forefront. 

ALSO READ > Mercedes is “a great opportunity” for Mick judge Ralf Schumacher

Jeremy Satis

Great F1 reporter & passionate about promotional formulas

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22/01/2023 at 02:16 a.m.

Why not have it integrated into Alpha Tauri in this case? With money, anything is possible in F1, he could have had it in his team!

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