Mick Schumacher on standby to replace F1 star under pressure after Canadian GP

18 June 2023 , 23:39

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Mick Schumacher is keen to return to the F1 grid at the first opportunity (Image: AP)

Mick Schumacher declared himself ready to replace Logan Sargeant this year if Williams decide to take the struggling American out of the firing line.

Sargeant is in his first Formula 1 season. And he is racing in the sport a year earlier than planned after deals fell through for both Oscar Piastri and Nyck de Vries, who joined other teams.

The learning curve for the Floridian has been steep. He is yet to score a point and is one of only two drivers still to register this year, along with AlphaTauri racer De Vries.

He struggled again in qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix with only Zhou Guanyu going slower. And his race was over very quickly as Williams discovered a "critical" problem with his car.

While that DNF was certainly not his fault, another scoreless weekend will only increase the pressure. Sargeant is the USA's great hope and first full-time F1 driver in 15 years, so expectations are high.

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Williams will no doubt want to stick by their driver. But if they decide it will be best for all parties to take Sargeant out of the firing line, then Schumacher is keen to be the man called in to replace him.

The German is a reserve for Mercedes this year, having been axed from a race seat himself by Haas. As Williams is a customer team of the Silver Arrows, it would presumably be a simple negotiation to get him into the cockpit if they wanted.

Logan Sargeant has found F1 to be a steep learning curve so far (Getty Images)

And Schumacher has made it clear he would be happy to do so. "I'm always ready. Believe me, I'm working very hard to hopefully be back in the car soon," he told German broadcaster RTL.

Speaking directly to German F1 fans, he added: "See you very soon. By next year at the latest it should be that time again. I'm sure something will develop in the near future."

But he admitted he might not even have to wait that long. Asked about the prospect of replacing someone mid-season, he replied: "I would do it. It is unlikely that something like this will happen as there are also contracts that are mostly kept. But I believe that every team is a good option."

Daniel Moxon