F1
Mick Schumacher was a 'serious candidate' for Sauber in 2025
Mick Schumacher - Photo: Julien Delfosse / DPPI
The identity of the second pilot alongside Nico Hulkenberg at Sauber in 2025 and Audi in 2026 is finally known. After months of rumors of all kinds, it is the Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto (20 years old), currently leader of the championship Formula 2 with 169,5 points (4,5 units more than the Frenchman Isack Hadjar) who was designated.
The future rookie has thus beaten more experienced drivers to this wheel, including the current holders of the Swiss team, namely Valtteri Bottas et Guanyu-Zhou, But also Mick Schumacher. The 25-year-old German, 43 races in Formula 1 during the 2021 and 2022 seasons with Haas, was nevertheless a " serious candidate " assures Mattia Binotto, director of operations for the F1 project at Audi.
« Yes, we had discussions, Binotto declared on the official Formula 1 website. He was certainly a strong candidate. I know him very well from the past, I know his strengths and maybe his weaknesses, but he would have been a good choice as well. »
« Mick would certainly have been a good choice as well, adds the former of the Team Ferrari. Sometimes you have to make certain decisions. The reason [for not choosing Schumacher] is that we chose Gabriel."
Binotto has sent the ball back into the court of Mercedes and Toto wolff about Schumacher, protégé of the Austrian and reserve of the firm with the star in F1. Why Kimi [Antonelli] and not Mick? thus questions the Transalpine. We made the decision to hire Gabriel and we are happy about it.”
Deprived of a place on the Formula 1 grid this season, Mick Schumacher has found refuge in the World Championship.Endurance in Alpine. He distinguished himself this season by signing a podium at the 6 Hours of Fuji (3rd) alongside Nicolas lapierre and Matthieu Vaxiviere.
Schumacher has never hidden his desire to return to Formula 1. Barring an improbable turnaround, it will not be for 2025 since there is only one seat left free, at Racing Bulls. His future therefore seems to continue to be written on the side of theAlpine and Endurance, if he wishes.
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Valentin GLO
Journalist. Endurance reporter (WEC, IMSA, ELMS, ALMS) and sometimes F1 or IndyCar.
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Yves-Henri RANDIER
09/11/2024 at 06:04 a.m.
In fact, hasn't Schumi Jr broken a little too much carbon in the eyes of Mattia Binotto when he claims that he knows him well and mentions the weaknesses of the German?