The Woking-based team have also picked their third driver for 2023. The official lineup of McLaren, made up of Lando Norris, and the rookie Oscar piastri – grew up in the Alpine Academy, you can make use of the support of a fairly experienced pilot, a decidedly well-known face and also very close to the current team principal of the team, Andrea Stella, that is Mick Schumacher.
Mick Schumacher: from the "No" of Haas
It is usually said that “when one door closes, another door opens”, and in Mick Schumacher's case two have opened, although they face the back. Mick's path in Formula 1 hasn't been very linear. After a rather disappointing first season, thanks to a terrible car and an inexperienced partner like him, the German driver struggled to get back from the bottom to reach the first championship points, even with some road accidents despite a much better car. So Haas, who had run out of patience and experiments at the end of the season, decided to focus on experience and stability, calling a no longer very young, but always available, Nico Hulkenberg for 2023.
More years usually pass between arrival and farewell in Formula 1, also because it is known, places are few and each race can make the difference between inside and outside. In Mick's case the surname didn't help this process. The expectations and little support from Ferrari, which had raised him in the Academy, perhaps weighed too much on the shoulders of the young driver who, very young, he found himself out of that environment that everyone thought was perfect for him.
To the "yes" of Mercedes and McLaren
Despite this Mick managed to find an alternative route, completely untying himself from Ferrari and knocking on the door of Mercedes, which, having no more De Vries available, chose the German as the third driver. A choice that also had an impact on McLaren, which, being linked to Mercedes, will in turn be able to count on Mick Schumacher as reserve driver. We also saw the same process in Williams last year, with De Vries called to replace Alexander albon in Monza, due to an operation to which the Thai driver had to undergo.
"McLaren will be able to call Mick Schumacher as reserve driver during the 2023 season of F1 as part of our agreement with Mercedes. Welcome to the family, Mick.” it reads about Social of McLaren. The team also commented on its own news of "closing circles", considering the former role of Andrea Stella, now McLaren Team Principal, as Michael Schumacher's engineer. Two surnames that come together, like the Schumacher-Mercedes duo, another comparison made when the team formalized Mick's arrival. We'll see if this new direction will bring Mick inside the Circus again. At the moment, he will have to settle for participating more as a spectator than as a protagonist.
