Ecclestone in Schumacher claim: 'That spoilt a lot of things for him'

Ex-Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone believes Mick Schumacher would have succeeded in F1 had he been with the Red Bull Junior programme.

German Schumacher rose through the ranks with Ferrari, taking the F2 championship for Prema before making the step up to the highest echelon of single-seater racing with Haas in 2021.

After just two seasons - the second filled with incidents early on - the American-owned outfit opted to part ways with Schumacher and opt instead for compatriot Nico Hulkenberg, who had been out of a seat for three years.

Schumacher's best result during his F1 stint came at the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix, where he crossed the line in sixth place.

'That spoilt things for him'

Since leaving Haas, Schumacher has performed development and reserve duties for Mercedes and, for the upcoming season, has signed up to Alpine's World Endurance Championship Hypercar effort.

Schumacher insisted that Alpine's presence in F1 made it an “interesting factor” while mulling over the WEC driver.

But Ecclestone has suggested his F1 career could have panned out differently had he joined forces with Red Bull's development programme.

“He would have been in good hands in a team like Red Bull with its junior programme, where they help young drivers to win," Ecclestone told the German Press Agency.

"That spoilt a lot of things for him. If his father had been there with him, he could have had a completely different influence on him.”