Several driver constellations are changing for the new Formula 1 season. There will also be a change at the McLaren racing team after the contract with Daniel Ricciardo was terminated at the end of the year. According to Andreas Seidl, Mick Schumacher was observed more closely in the traditional team, but it quickly became clear who should be chosen.
Mick Schumacher is one of those pilots who have not yet secured a cockpit for the coming Formula 1 season. So the Haas driver is theoretically also on the market for other racing teams. McLaren, who announced the early separation from regular driver Daniel Ricciardo in the summer, apparently took a closer look at the 23-year-old.
“If you have a seat open, you generally look at every name,” said team boss Andreas Seidl in an interview with “Sport Bild”. You have “seen over the course of the current season that he has made steps forward”.
However, the 46-year-old also noted that there was “still room for improvement” at Schumacher. Ultimately, the Haas driver was never a real candidate for McLaren: “We were very quick at Oscar (Piastri, editor’s note).”
McLaren team boss explains driver choice
According to the plans of his training team Alpine, the Australian was actually supposed to contest his rookie year in Formula 1 there. However, Piastri preferred McLaren, sparking a legal battle.
“We’re hoping for a lot from him. He won Formula 3 and Formula 2 in his first year. That doesn’t happen that often,” says Andreas Seidl about his new driver. Why did McLaren choose the 21-year-old? “Oscar has incredible ability, is very fast. He will take us a step forward. We are well positioned for the future.”
In the case of Mick Schumacher, the McLaren team boss is still hoping for a happy ending: “I wish him the time to develop further.”