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Mick Schumacher will take on an important responsibility for Mercedes as they continue their hunt for more performance as the F1 calendar reaches its European leg. The reserve driver will be back at the factory on the simulator on the Fridays of race weekends to test setups for the following race.

According to Auto Motor und Sport, this new plan for the Schumacher son will begin at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, with the driver putting in the work at the Brackley HQ before flying out to meet the rest of the team at the track. 

Here, he will continue his normal duties as a reserve driver in case anything happens to either George Russell or Lewis Hamilton over the weekend, as well as the McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. 

This news comes after a large reorganisation from Mercedes chief Toto Wolff, amid the swapping of roles between James Allison and Mike Elliot. 

"This was very much driven by Mike Elliott owning the process," the Mercedes chief told Autosport.

"So, we have reversed the roles. Mike has moved up to CTO, as he has a brilliant switched-on scientific mind. And James Allison has returned to his technical director position, reporting in to Mike."

We're only one week away from our first sprint race weekend, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix beginning on the 28th of this month. According to reports, Schumacher has already put in time on the simulator for this, as well as the Miami GP which follows only a week after. 

With Mercedes 67 points behind the Constructor leaders Red Bull, they'll have to make some serious development over the coming weeks to be in for a chance of catching them.