Haas Formula 1 team boss Guenther Steiner says Mick Schumacher is in a strong position at Mercedes as he hopes to return to the grid in 2024.
Schumacher was dropped by Haas at the conclusion of the 2022 season as the US-owned team opted to take on Nico Hulkenberg’s experience for 2023.
Schumacher spent two seasons with Haas but found refuge at Mercedes as a reserve driver for the upcoming campaign.
Mercedes’ Toto Wolff has already outlined that he hopes Schumacher can reshape his career with the team in a similar way to Nyck de Vries, who has secured a full-time F1 drive this year with AlphaTauri.
Steiner has hailed Schumacher for taking up a position with the German manufacturer, which he believes marks his best chance at a return to a full-time race seat.
“I think he is in a good position with Mercedes. Mercedes has many sibling teams,” Steiner told RTL, as quoted by Speedweek.
“[De Vries] jumped in at Williams and got a regular cockpit at AlphaTauri through this route.
“[Schumacher is] in a good position. I hope for no driver’s sake that he can’t drive. But if there is a possibility, Mick can sit in and drive.
“Sometimes one step back is two steps forward. He’s put himself in a good position with a team where he has the best chance for a regular cockpit in the future.”
Schumacher’s future in F1 was a prominent topic as the 2022 F1 season wound down, with Haas taking a decision ahead of the final round in Abu Dhabi last November.
Despite the split, Steiner says that he is still on good terms with Schumacher.
“That just happens in life. You break up often and that’s why it doesn’t mean that you break up in a fight,” Steiner said.
“In the end, we both played with open cards and that’s why I believe we still talk to each other and greet each other.”
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