Mick Schumacher edges closer to Cadillac F1 deal but not the one he wants most

Daily Mirror

2 hours ago

Cadillac are in the process of recruiting drivers for their maiden Formula 1 season in 2026 with Mick Schumacher one of those who has held talks with the American outfit
Mick Schumacher is edging closer to a Formula 1 return – but not in a race seat. The 26-year-old son of seven-time World champion Michael is desperate to revive his F1 career which ended in 2022 after two seasons with minnows Haas.
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He spent time as reserve at Mercedes after that but has since left F1 altogether to race with Alpine in the World Endurance Championship [WEC]. Schumacher has three podiums to his name so far and hopes to use it as a springboard back onto the F1 grid.
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The German has held discussions with Cadillac, who will form F1's 11th team next year, about a potential deal. And it is understood that those talks have progressed, though at this stage it is unlikely that he will be given one of the two race seats on offer for 2026.
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Instead, Schumacher is the front-runner to be named as Cadillac's first reserve driver, as reported by The Race. He would prefer a race seat, but a reserve role is still believed to appeal to Schumacher who wants to get his foot back in the door of the F1 paddock.
Experienced F1 race-winners Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez are understood to be Cadillac's preferred choices for their race seats. They are each in advanced talks while some reports claim the latter, who has spent this year away from F1 having been axed by Red Bull last December, is close to agreeing a deal.
Both, however, have also held talks with bottom-feeders Alpine who are considering their 2026 options for a partner to Pierre Gasly. Franco Colapinto has yet to score a single point since replacing Jack Doohan in May, who also did not manage a top 10 finish.
Schumacher, the 2020 Formula 2 champion, raced 43 times for Haas but finished in the top 10 just twice. He also suffered several large and expensive crashes which were a financial headache for F1's smallest team and that, ultimately, led to then-team boss Guenther Steiner dropping him at the end of 2022.
The consensus is that he has done fairly well since making the switch to WEC, including a 10th-placed finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. Schumacher looks increasingly likely to leave Alpine at the end of this season and could switch to Cadillac's Team Jota, one of the top teams in WEC, replacing 2009 F1 champion Jenson Button.
Whether or not the German does land a place with Cadillac's F1 project remains to be seen. But former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve has made clear his belief that the new team would be making a mistake if they pick the German for one of their race seats.
The 1997 title winner said: "Mick Schumacher had a hard time when he was at Haas. He has not an experienced driver either. There is no reason to go for him."