After being fired from the Haas F1 team and at the same time risking dropping out of Ferrari’s development academy, 23-year-old Mick Schumacher seemed to have run out of options to maintain his F1 career.
But when asked if Mick Schumacher was still a candidate to replace Nicholas Latifi next year, Williams Racing team boss Joost Capito told RTL: “Of course he is.”
“Mick is an option. He deserves to stay in F1. I don’t know if that will happen, but it’s definitely an option for us.”
“Now he’s really stepping up and could be a very good F1 driver. If you look at George Russell, he made some rookie mistakes at Williams, but he’s improved nonetheless.”
“F1 is very complex and the step forward compared to F2 is very big because the cars are very complex and technically demanding.”
“We have to give the riders two years and show them what they can do in the third year.”
Asked if Williams F1 and “Schumacher” sounded like a tempting combination, Jost Kapito admitted: “He definitely would.”
But Jost Capito argues that the Williams F1 Team, like the Haas F1 Team, has many other options for 2023.
“For us, it’s a bit more open,” said Joost Kapit.
“Yes, Logan Sargent is on the list too.”
“But the decision will probably come after the season. I think it will be right after Abu Dhabi or a week or two later.”
Ahead of the Japanese F1 Grand Prix, AlphaTauri is believed to be ready to announce that Nick de Vries will join the Red Bull camp from 2023 and Pierre Gasly will move to the Alpine F1 team.
“The whole market is moving. Something changes every day,” said Jost Kapit.
“We’re not putting pressure on ourselves, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make decisions sooner.”
For example, if the deal between Nick de Vries and AlphaTauri fails, De Vries would be in pole position for the Williams F1 seat.
“It’s not just us. Other teams are very interested in Nick.”
“We will have to see what decision he will make. I haven’t decided yet and I don’t want to. If he decides in advance to join another team, that’s fine.”
Jost Capito said the fact that Alexander Albon is an “experienced” driver means Williams can afford to opt for a less experienced teammate next year.
“In the situation Williams is in, you see a young driver who is reliable and has long-term control and doesn’t mind training for other teams.”
