Ralf Schumacher to Mick Schumacher: “Four chances to drive, good possibility"

Mick finds himself off the grid in 2023 after being ditched by Haas, and will instead act as Mercedes’ third driver as back-up to Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

He has the possibility to act as a reserve driver for Mercedes plus the three teams that they power - Aston Martin, McLaren and Williams.

"It's great for the teams to have someone like Mick,” Ralf told Sky. 

“He knows his stuff, he knows the tracks. Mick comes out of the car almost fresh. 

“For him, it is also a good possibility. With four chances the chance for him is greater that he might be able to drive."

Former F1 driver Ralf believes that his nephew’s team can return to the title fight this year.

“Mercedes should be on our list. They managed to bring back their car in the budget without test drives and to recognize the deficits,” he said. 

“They also have a very strong driver pairing. The [target] will be Red Bull with Max Verstappen - there is no doubt about that. This is the team to beat. 

“At Ferrari there is always such a small surprise box. This can sometimes be super strong. 

“However, it has to be said that both drivers made a lot of mistakes. The team also made mistakes. There are some deficits."