Guenther Steiner makes ‘difficult’ admission about whether 12-point driver will ever return to Formula 1

Many teams on the F1 grid have looked ahead to 2026 for their driver line-ups in the 2025 season.

The driver market was thrown into chaos last year by the news that Lewis Hamilton would be joining Ferrari. Several driver transfers occurred with half the grid being out of contract by the end of 2024.

Only McLaren and Aston Martin have retained their driver pairing from 2024 heading into 2025. With the new regulations coming into effect in 2026, many teams have signed their drivers to long-term contracts.

Six drivers are out of contract at the end of this season – including both Mercedes and Racing Bulls drivers. There are limited seats available for 2026 and even beyond that.

This is not good news for Mick Schumacher. The German has been out of F1 since 2022 after his departure from Haas – he scored 12 points in his two seasons with the team.

Schumacher claims he has a ‘score to settle’ in F1 as he continues to target a return to the pinnacle of motorsport. But his former boss Guenther Steiner has made a ‘difficult’ admission about his future in the sport.

Guenther Steiner does not believe Mick Schumacher will return to F1

Since losing his seat at Haas in 2022, Schumacher has served as the reserve driver for Mercedes and McLaren before leaving the former last year. In 2024, the 25-year-old began racing in the World Endurance Championship with Alpine.

The German had been linked with the second seat at the Enstone-based team for the 2025 season next to Pierre Gasly. However, Jack Doohan outpaced Schumacher in a private test to get the seat.

Schumacher was linked with Williams to replace Logan Sargeant after his dismissal following the Dutch Grand Prix, but the team opted to promote Franco Colapinto from F2.

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Schumacher also missed out on the Sauber seat next to Nico Hulkenberg for 2025, with the team signing Gabriel Bortoleto. After being overlooked three times for a seat this season, Steiner does not think a return to F1 for the German will happen.

“It will be difficult. If you don’t drive for a long time, and this year there were a lot of seats free, then it will be difficult to get back in,” he said via sport.de.

Asked whether he thought Schumacher could make a comeback to F1, his former Haas boss replied:. “I don’t think so. I don’t think he will.”

What teams could Mick Schumacher race for in 2026?

Schumacher will remain in WEC for the 2025 season with Alpine. While the 25-year-old is confident of a return to F1, the fact he was rejected by three teams last year does not spell good news for his chances.

The door seems to be shut at Alpine with Colapinto now almost guaranteed to replace Doohan, if not this season, then in 2026.

Williams and Sauber are also off the table with both of their drivers signed to long-term deals. Mercedes and Racing Bulls will have openings come the end of 2025, but it is incredibly unlikely that either team will consider Schumacher for a seat.

If the German is to return to F1, it seems his option is with Cadillac. The American outfit is set to become the sport’s 11th team in 2026 and are searching for their first two drivers.

Schumacher was reported to be under consideration by Cadillac to partner with Colton Herta, but the rumours have since gone quiet. With the likes of Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu and Sergio Perez all now being linked with the team, the 25-year-old faces fierce competition to make an F1 return.