Mick Schumacher sits in a Formula 1 car for the second time in six days: Best time at Pirelli tire tests in Silverstone in the current McLaren MCL38
Mick Schumacher has his hands full at the moment: around the British Grand Prix, the German not only had to change his team kit three times – from blue (Alpine) to black (Mercedes) to papaya (McLaren) – he was also allowed to sit in the Formula 1 car twice!
In the run-up to the Silverstone weekend, Schumacher already reeled off test kilometers for Alpine in Le Castellet on Wednesday and received high praise from boss Bruno Famin. After the Formula 1 appearance in England, which Schumacher accompanied as usual as the third driver for the Silver Arrows, he stayed on site and was back behind the wheel on Tuesday – this time for McLaren.
As an engine customer, the traditional team from Woking also has access to Mercedes’ reserve driver, which has been Schumacher since 2023. Accordingly, it was not the first McLaren test for the German; Schumi Jr. had already sat in the Papaya racer exactly twelve months ago – albeit in a two-year-old car in Portimao at the time.
The test in Silverstone took place on behalf of tire manufacturer Pirelli in order to drive forward the development of the tires for 2025 – and in the current MCL38 . In addition to Schumacher, Alex Albon for Williams and Pietro Fittipaldi for Schumacher’s former team Haas were also in action. However, due to the rainy weather in England, the planned slick test had to be swapped for one of the intermediate tires at short notice
Schumacher completes 53 laps at Silverstone
The German set the fastest time of the day on Tuesday with a time of 1:37.428 minutes – Albon (1:41.116) and Fittipaldi (1:42.124) were significantly slower. However, the times are not meaningful in a test of this kind.
Much more important for Schumacher are the kilometers he collected in the car, as the 25-year-old was able to complete 53 laps, exactly one lap more than the original Grand Prix distance of the British Grand Prix last Sunday
The Pirelli tests continued on Wednesday, but then without Schumacher in the car: Lando Norris took over his McLaren again, Logan Sargeant was in action for Williams, while Oliver Bearman, who has already been confirmed for 2025, familiarized himself with his new Haas service car
Schumacher: What are his chances of a comeback?
When and whether Schumacher will be allowed to contest his 44th Grand Prix start is still up in the air: according to team boss Famin, the German is still considered a candidate for the second cockpit alongside Pierre Gasly at Alpine, for whom he already drives in the World Endurance Championship, in 2025.
However, the competition is fierce: not only Jack Doohan, who tested with Schumi Jr. in France, is also on the list, but also the declared dream transfer target of Alpine’s new special advisor Flavio Briatore: Carlos Sainz. However, Schumacher is not in the draw at McLaren, where Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both have long-term contracts.
And there are no positive signals from Mercedes regarding the German either: Formula 2 talent Andrea Kimi Antonelli is considered the first contender for the cockpit alongside George Russell, should team boss Toto Wolff’s ambitious attempts to poach Red Bull’s Max Verstappen finally come to nothing
