Discarded driver Mick Schumacher has been backed for a return to Formula 1's top table following his exit from Haas.
As someone who has himself lost a starting drive in the past, Esteban Ocon knows all too well what Schumacher—son of F1 legend Michael —is going through at present. The Frenchman spent one season as Mercedes reserve driver in 2019 after being let go by Force India, only to return with a starting spot at Renault (later rebranded as Alpine ) the following year.
A reserve driver role (possibly also with the Silver Arrows) looks like Schumacher's most plausible option to maintaining some sort of paddock presence in 2023. And it's the belief of his friend, Ocon, that the Switzerland-born star has the talents to flourish once more in F1.
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"I believe he will [return to F1]," Ocon told reporters. "He will obviously work hard with this team to come back. I've been out of this sport, and I know how it feels [to leave F1] after two years.
"But hard work, dedication, and just being here each time there was a car started, that's the thing that brought me back to the sport, and I'm sure he will have a shot again."
Like Ocon, Schumacher made the move up to F1 after winning titles in more minor competitions, but those skills have so far struggled to translate at the elite level. The 23-year-old made considerable improvements in 2022 but still incurred substantial team costs due to numerous crashes.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff recently appeared to suggest his outfit could sign Schumacher as a reserve driver. A spot on the team is open after former reserve star Nyck de Vries joined AlphaTauri ahead of the new season, though there's yet to be any official confirmation regarding Schumacher's future.
"Mick is someone that has always been close to our heart because of Michael or the whole Schumacher family," said Wolff after the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. "He is an intelligent, well-mannered young man. He's been very successful in junior formulas."
Ocon has bounced back from his spell on the F1 sidelines in 2019 and even won the Hungarian Grand Prix for Alpine in 2021, the team's only victory since their rebranding that year. Schumacher will look to use his example as a springboard to his own resurgence, and a stint outside the sport's spotlight may be just what's needed to propel the prospect to fulfil his potential
