Liam Lawson appears poised for a Formula 1 entry, while Mick Schumacher seems to be heading towards an exit.
This prediction comes from ex-F1 driver and current commentator, Christian Danner. Amidst whispers suggesting Schumacher, the current Mercedes standby and former Haas racer, is leaning towards joining sportscar racing next season, Danner shared his perspective.
“In the two years that he drove in Formula 1, Mick left this impression on the team bosses – ‘Well, we don’t actually need him’,” Danner communicated to sport.de.
Contrastingly, Danner emphasised the promising image Liam Lawson has crafted among team leaders, especially after his few replacement appearances for the recuperating Daniel Ricciardo.
“Liam drives a pretty bad car too but what did he do? He came out absolutely sparkling clean, faster than the regular driver, scoring points and showing in his first few grands prix ‘Hey guys, I can do it!'”
According to Danner, Schumacher couldn’t imprint a similar positive vibe during his two complete racing seasons.
“Of course that now has long-term consequences,” he opined. “There is no team boss who would have much confidence in him now.”
James Vowles, the chief of the only team with a vacant spot for the 2024 grid – Williams, is also among them. Currently, he’s rallying behind the underperforming novice, Logan Sargeant.
“When we signed Logan we were prepared to invest in his career and nothing has changed,” stated Vowles. “Only if we came to the conclusion that there is no more progress would we look for an alternative.
“We’re a long way from that point.”
Nonetheless, Danner speculates that if Vowles eventually contemplates a substitution, Lawson would be the preference over Schumacher.
“As long as Sergio Perez is not fired by Red Bull, Lawson will be free next year,” Danner inferred. “Then he races for Williams for a year and then shifts to Red Bull.”
