Ex-world champion Sebastian Vettel explains why Mick Schumacher could have a good chance of succeeding Logan Sargeant in Formula 1 at Williams
After the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort, there is much speculation about what will happen at Williams. Regular driver Logan Sargeant’s accident in the third free practice session could have cost him his cockpit for the rest of the season. And now four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel is in favor of Mick Schumacher becoming Sargeant’s successor.
Speaking to Bild, Vettel says: “If it were my decision, I would lean towards Mick. Of course I’m a bit biased because he’s my friend, but he’s the best solution in my eyes.”
In contrast to Williams youngster Franco Colapinto or other candidates such as Red Bull junior Liam Lawson, Schumacher already has two years of experience in Formula 1 and has also recently benefited from his role as a Mercedes test driver. According to Vettel, Schumacher has also “matured a lot as a person since leaving Haas”.
Vettel’s conclusion: “I’m sure that he could impress at Williams. Especially as, unlike other candidates, he knows the Formula 1 driver line-up and the circuits. That’s a big advantage. “
Vettel: Mick Schumacher is “wrongly branded ”
And unlike at Haas in 2021 and 2022, Schumacher would find an environment at Williams in 2024 in which he could develop. “That wasn’t quite the case at Haas,” says Vettel. Under such circumstances, it is “difficult for every driver to get the maximum out of themselves and the car.”
This is also why he wishes Schumacher “the chance” at Williams, “so that he can show the world what he is made of”, says Vettel. Because Schumacher was “wrongly branded” by his two Formula 1 seasons at Haas and “many people have the wrong image of him”.
Vettel does not want to deny that Schumacher “also made mistakes” as a Haas driver. In Schumacher’s defense, however, he says: “The car was not competitive. ”
Where Williams will be in the 2024 Formula 1 season
However, neither is this year’s Williams-Mercedes FW46: after 15 of 24 Grands Prix so far, the British team is in penultimate place in the Formula 1 constructors’ championship with just four points, only ahead of Sauber, which has so far remained without points. Williams regular driver Alexander Albon has only made it into the top 10 in Monaco and Silverstone, finishing ninth on both occasions.
For comparison: in Schumacher’s Formula 1 debut season in 2021, Haas was the clear bottom of the table and scored no championship points. In 2022, however, the US team soared to eighth place, leaving AlphaTauri and Williams behind with 37 points. Schumacher lost the Haas team duel at the time by 25:12 points to Kevin Magnussen, who will also compete for Haas in 2024
