Formula 1 can be a cut-throat business even if you are the son of a former seven-time world champion.
Mick Schumacher arrived on the F1 grid in 2021 to critical acclaim, although he tempered expectations by driving for the underperforming Haas team.
Haas at that time was competing with a four-year-old car in anticipation of the big regulation change in 2022, which they saw as an opportunity to improve their fortunes.
While Haas produced a car that was good enough for the midfield, Schumacher would often put himself in a position that would see him struggle on track. After completing 43 races with Haas he racked up millions of pounds worth of crash damage, which eventually led to him being dropped by the team.
Schumacher has since found refuge at Alpine driving in their World Endurance Championship team at Le Mans, while he also had ties to Mercedes and ran in various tests with them last year.
Discussing whether he would like to make a comeback to the F1 grid in an interview with BILD, Schumacher revealed that he has a ‘score to settle’.
Mick Schumacher wants to ‘prove’ himself in F1 once again
Schumacher is still only 25 years old and would still be a lucrative option for any team, given his experience.
Despite having the opportunity with Alpine in 2025, Schumacher was overlooked by Jack Doohan and now it looks like the team is veering towards Franco Colapinto in the long term. Schumacher is not giving up on his F1 dream though, and plans to ‘prove’ himself in the future.
“Formula 1 will always be a part of my life. I decided at the age of eleven that I wanted to drive there. That is still my goal, this racing series was and is my lifelong dream. I still have a score to settle with F1 and want to prove myself there once again,” said Schumacher.
“When I look at the grid, I have no doubt that I could keep up there. I’m not worse. It would be nice if I could get another chance and prove it. Simply because I believe that many have mislabeled me.”
What are Mick Schumacher’s chances of returning to F1?
The 2026 ruleset presents one of the best chances for Schumacher to make his F1 come back, given some teams will be looking to optimise their lineups after this season.
Alpine might be his best opportunity if they find neither Colapinto or Doohan are up to their standard, while Mercedes could still be an avenue after he was praised by Toto Wolff.
READ MORE: Who is F1 reserve and Alpine WEC star Mick Schumacher? Everything to know
Andrea Stella felt Schumacher deserved the Williams seat, but he lost out to Carlos Sainz who was already a proven race winner.
Schumacher is a big name and comes with a lot of marketing potential, but after a crash-ridden final season, understandably, a lot of teams will be looking to avoid him if they can.
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