Gear shift
Michael Schumacher’s son Mick, 25, set to be offered shock F1 return for 2025 with brand new team
Seven other drivers are also being considered by the team
MICK SCHUMACHER is set to be offered a Formula One return with Sauber - soon to be Audi - next year, according to reports.
The 25-year-old, son of seven-time F1 world champion Michael, was dropped from the motorsport in 2022 after two tough years at Haas.
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Since then he has performed as Mercedes' reserve driver and has also raced for Alpine in the World Endurance Championship this year.
Four seats remain up for grabs in F1 for 2025 at Mercedes, Alpine, RB and Sauber, who will be replaced by Audi from 2026.
And according to reports from Germany, it is Sauber who are set to offer Schumacher a chance at redemption.
It comes following the appointment of former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto, who oversaw Schumacher in the Ferrari driver academy for three years - as chief technical officer at the Swiss team.
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Their project has also seen them land Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley as their team principal from 2025.
Nico Hulkenberg - who is seeing out the 2024 season at Haas - has already been confirmed as one of Sauber's two new drivers for next season.
German publication Auto Motor Sport reports the team missed out on its two preferred candidates, with Carlos Sainz going to Williams and Esteban Ocon going to Haas.
With the available experienced heads of the current field - Valtteri Bottas and Kevin Magnussen - also not putting in inspired displays this season, Sauber are considering a younger candidate.
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Yet another problem comes into play here as well, with only 20-year-old Zane Maloney in the team talent pool.
Meanwhile, Schumacher is viewed as a "relatively low-risk" option, since they would be able to easily look for a replacement in 2026 if he fails to perform.
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Other drivers the team are considering are Sergio Perez, Daniel Ricciardo, Liam Lawson and F2 championship leader Isack Hadjar.
F1 is currently in the middle of its summer break, with racing not returning until the Dutch Grand Prix on August 25.
Three-time world champion Max Verstappen currently leads the drivers championship by 78 points from McLaren's Lando Norris.
However, the Red Bull drivers has achieved just one podium in the last four races, with George Russell, Oscar Piastri and Lewis Hamilton all coming home to take race wins in his place.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton has taken two of these, with his latest at the Belgium GP only coming after Mercedes team-mate Russell was cruelly stripped of the win after his car was found to be underweight.
Verstappen, 26, will be hoping to get back to winning ways at his home race of Zandvoort.
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F1 2025 grid
Here are the confirmed driver line ups for the F1 2025 season so far:
Red Bull: Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez
Ferrari: Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes: George Russell and TBC
McLaren: Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri
Aston Martin: Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll
Williams: Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz
Sauber: Nico Hulkenberg and TBC
Alpine: Pierre Gasly and TBC
RB: Yuki Tsunoda and TBC
Haas: Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon