Mick Schumacher Takes On Crucial Mercedes W15 Test

Saajan Jogia | Oct 3, 2024

Mick Schumacher - 2024 Saudi Grand Prix, Saturday - Jiri Krenek / Mercedes Press Image

Mercedes reserve driver Mick Schumacher, who also races for Alpine's World Endurance Championship (WEC) team, took part in a Pirelli test in Mercedes' W15 F1 car to test tires for the 2025 season at the Magny-Cours circuit in France. However, his run was cut short due to adverse weather conditions.

Schumacher's Formula 1 journey came to an abrupt halt after his stint with American outfit Haas in 2021 and 2022. The German driver has since been on the lookout for a full-time F1 opportunity while being on the sidelines with Mercedes.

After multiple failed attempts to secure a Formula 1 seat, Schumacher landed a spot in Alpine's WEC program, with a contract that also permits him to serve as Mercedes' reserve driver. The 25-year-old has often expressed that his ultimate goal remains competing in Formula 1.

During the Pirelli testing session, Schumacher's stint was focused on wet weather tire testing. However, the weather eventually worsened to the point that the test had to be called off. Schumacher set the fastest lap time of 1:39.172s in the 29-lap long session.

On Day 2, George Russell took to the wheel of the W15, putting in a total of 86 laps to gather enough data on Pirelli’s extreme wet and intermediate tires in rain and cold conditions. This time, the session was not disrupted by extreme rain, thereby aiding the British driver to set his fastest time of 1:28.428s and conclude the test run successfully.

Speaking of Schumacher's F1 return, he saw many opportunities come his way this season, considering how volatile the driver market was. The most recent was Formula 1's last available seat at Sauber, a team that will be taken over by Audi in 2026.

Before the team's CTO and CEO, Mattia Binotto ruled out his entry into the team, Schumacher was counting on the opening as his Plan A, while a Plan B was yet to be decided. Speaking to Sky Deutschland, he had said:

“There will be a decision in September. So we have to wait and see what happens.

“I will deal with it when the time comes and Plan A does not work.”

Speaking on the backup plan, he added:

“Plan B must be in the back of my mind.

“I don’t know where that will go at the moment.

“Formula 1 is the big goal, it always was and it always will be. That’s why everything else has to stand still for now.

“The options that exist alongside it have to wait.”

Speaking on his ongoing reserve driver role at Mercedes, Schumacher added:

“It’s going well there.

“So we’re all confident that I’ll continue doing it.”