Tost: Schumacher AlphaTauri switch 'rejected'

AlphaTauri Team Principal Franz Tost has revealed his attempt to sign Mick Schumacher as a replacement for Pierre Gasly was "rejected".

Schumacher was dropped by Haas at the end of last season following two years with the American-owned team and has instead found a home at Mercedes, assisting Lewis Hamilton and George Russell as the Silver Arrows' reserve driver.

But Tost has revealed the German was his first choice to replace Alpine's Gasly when the Frenchman's move to the Enstone-and-Viry-based outfit was confirmed.

Nyck de Vries was instead selected by the Red Bull hierarchy but has struggled to match teammate Yuki Tsunoda so far, failing to score in the opening seven races.

Schumacher underrated

"It was the case that Mick Schumacher did not get a drive for this year," Tost told Formel1.

"For us, it was open after the Pierre Gasly story came to light because for me it was originally clear that our driver pairing would be Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda.

"Then suddenly, Pierre was given to Alpine and that left us with a vacancy and until the Monza race, it was completely unclear who would be our driver.

"I logically thought of Mick Schumacher because I think he is much better than he is currently perceived in the outside world.

"But that was rejected and we are now driving with Nyck de Vries. That was the decision and there is really nothing more to discuss."