It may not be long before Mick Schumacher finds Formula 1 employment after Mercedes chief Toto Wolff said the driver "deserves a place" next season.
Schumacher—the only son of seven-time F1 world champion Michael —is currently set to sit out the 2023 campaign after he was fired by Haas. Mercedes' team principal was critical of the decision to cut ties with Schumacher Jr. and has suggested the his outfit could make room for his arrival.
"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, per Sky Sports. "He (Mick) is an intelligent, well-mannered young man. He's been very successful in junior formulas."
After joining the Ferrari academy at the start of 2019, 23-year-old Schumacher tested for Haas before being handed his senior F1 debut in 2021. However, two seasons strewn with crashes and collisions failed to convince the American manufacturer he was worthy of a third.
While Schumacher's time on Ferrari's books may have reached its end, the Mercedes boss suggested there may be an opening for him in Brackley: "We believe that we can look after him if the situation were to happen and with someone that just fits the team."
Speaking to Sky Sport Germany, Wolff went on to say: "I think he deserves a place and now we have to see if we can do something." Nyck de Vries and Stoffel Vandoorne were Mercedes' reserve drivers for 2022, but the former's promotion to the AlphaTauri line-up leaves a spot open ahead of 2023.
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Haas have opted to bring Nico Hulkenberg back as Schumacher's replacement for 2023, having joined Aston Martin as their reserve driver during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Wolff previously jibed at Haas' team principal for axing Schumacher and remarked: "He comes from the mountain, the air is thinner there. You can't always think so well."
Prior to becoming a senior driver in F1, Schumacher Jr. won a Formula 2 title with Prema Racing in 2020. It remains to be seen whether he'll take up a deal with the Silver Arrows, though Wolff went on to hint the decision lies with the youngster and his agent, Sabine Kehm.
"We haven't really put pen to paper, we haven't really come anywhere close to any terms," added the 50-year-old. "I'm seeing it that openly because I think he just fits and now we need to make it happen, if he wants to, Sabine wants to and then we see we see where that goes to."
