Mick Schumacher could switch to Williams for 2023 after team boss Jost Capito claimed he “deserves to stay in Formula 1”.
The German appears set to be dropped by Haas at the end of the year with the team linked to bringing back Nico Hulkenberg alongside Kevin Magnussen.
But asked about the possibility of signing Schumacher, Williams chief Capito confirmed his interest, arguing it is too soon for Mick’s talent to be judged.
“Mick is an option, he also deserves to stay in Formula 1,” he told Germany’s RTL. “We’ll see if that happens, but he’s definitely an option for us.
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“[He has the potential to] really move forward and be a very good driver in F1,” Capito added.
“He is now in his second year, if you look at George Russell, he made mistakes in his second year at Williams and still developed.
“Formula 1 is very complex and the step from Formula 2 is so big because the cars are so complex and technically more demanding.
“You have to learn that, you have to give a driver two years to get there and show what he can do in the third year.”
Williams’ options for 2023 appear limited as Nyck De Vries, who scored points on his debut with the team at Monza, is now expected to be confirmed at AlphaTauri for next season soon.
Another name touted is F2 driver and Williams junior Logan Sargeant, and Capito admits he wouldn’t be afraid to promote the American.
“I absolutely see Alex Albon as an experienced driver,” he explained. “He was at AlphaTauri, he was at Red Bull. So for this reason you can then take a young driver.
“When you’re racing for the World Championship, you probably can’t afford it. In the situation with Williams is that we’re not racing for the title, but we still have to work ahead, you can also rely on a young driver you can rely on for the long term, who you have under control yourself and who you don’t train for another team.”
But, as Capito revealed, a decision on Williams’ second driver for 2023 isn’t expected soon.
“Most likely, that will be decided after the season. I think it should be shortly after Abu Dhabi or a week or two after that,” he said.
“The whole market is on the move, something is changing every day. We didn’t put any pressure on ourselves. But that doesn’t mean we can’t decide if we wanted to before.”
