- Mick Schumacher's recent association is titled "Audi".
Mick Schumacher's Last Chance Lies with Audi. The French F1 team Alpine has confirmed Australian Jack Doohan as their second driver for 2025, dealing a significant blow to the young German's hopes of securing a permanent seat.
The connection between Schumacher and Doohan adds an intriguing twist to this story. With Michael Schumacher's son now having only one plausible chance of returning to a full-time position in motorsport's elite tier: Audi, which has assumed control of Sauber, the stakes couldn't be higher.
Dynasties of Speed
"Doohan will be the first driver to transit from the Alpine Academy to a racing position within the team, which is a satisfying development for the team and its youth development program," said the new Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes on the sidelines of the first Grand Prix post-summer break in the Netherlands. Doohan, the son of MotoGP legend Mick Doohan, had previously served as Alpine's reserve driver. He takes over from Esteban Ocon (Haas) and will partner Pierre Gasly.
This is a significant setback for Mick Schumacher. After two years as a regular driver at Haas, he had to make way for Nico Hülkenberg at the end of 2022. Since then, he has been a Mercedes reserve driver and has also participated in Alpine's endurance program during the current season. Alpine was thought to be an ideal platform for Schumacher's comeback.
Before the summer break, Alpine's management had an opportunity to evaluate Schumacher and Doohan, who share a friendly relationship, during a joint test. Bruno Famin praised both drivers' performances. However, Famin is no longer Alpine's team principal, and Flavio Briatore, a former boss of Michael Schumacher at Renault, is now the team's advisor. Briatore also assists Jack Doohan in his free time.
What Remains for Mick Schumacher? There are still three full-time seats available for 2025. Red Bull's junior team, AlphaTauri, is likely to award the second seat alongside Yuki Tsunoda to Daniel Ricciardo or Liam Lawson. At Mercedes, the promotion of young driver Kimi Antonelli to George Russell's side is considered imminent after Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari.
This leaves Sauber, now under Audi's control and set to compete as a works team from 2026. Nico Hülkenberg has already secured the first full-time seat for 2025. Speculations of Sebastian Vettel's sensational comeback are rife, but current Sauber drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, as well as Mick Schumacher, are serious contenders.
The new Audi boss has a history with the Schumacher family
Audi's F1 boss, Mattia Binotto, has a prior acquaintance with the Schumacher family. The Swiss-Italian, who was once Michael Schumacher's engine engineer at Ferrari, was also team principal of Scuderia when Mick Schumacher joined Ferrari's junior academy in early 2019. Mick left Ferrari's junior program at the end of 2022, just before Binotto departed from the Italian team.
Binotto has been Audi's driving force since early August but has yet to disclose his driver plans publicly. The possibility of a second German driver at Audi is merely speculative, but not necessary.
Interestingly, it was Michael Schumacher who first introduced Jack Doohan to go-karting. Michael Schumacher and Mick Doohan have been close friends for years, and Michael Schumacher is also a significant inspiration for Jack Doohan.
"He was already a family friend from an early age. Michael would occasionally visit us in Australia and stay with us. At some point, they lived in Monaco door to door," Jack Doohan once shared. Michael Schumacher even gifted them their initial go-kart when they were three years old. "He's someone I look up to extremely," Doohan, the new regular driver for Alpine, acknowledged.
In light of Binotto's history with the Schumacher family, Mick might still see an opportunity with Audi, as the new F1 boss worked with his father at Ferrari.
However, Audi's decision to promote Jack Doohan as their second driver for 2025 could potentially hinder Mick Schumacher's chances of returning to a full-time position in motorsport's elite tier, given Doohan's strong connection with the Schumacher family, having been introduced to go-karting by Mick's father and considering him as a significant inspiration.
