Toto Wolff says he hopes to see Mick Schumacher land an opportunity at another F1 team in 2023, even in a reserve driver capacity. In one of the final driver announcements of 2022, it was confirmed ahead of the Abu Dhabi GP that Schumacher's time at Haas was up, with the 23-year-old being replaced by Nico Hulkenberg for 2023. The decision left Schumacher out of a race drive for 2023, but Mercedes Team Principal has spoken highly of the German F2 champion, and suggested that the "brutal" pressure was too much. "I really like Mick and I like the family, how they have raised their kids with this unbelievably famous name," Wolff told the Beyond the Grid podcast. "I think he deserves a chance. He won the junior series, and that is not easy. "Things can go against you when you're in your first years in Formula 1, and then he was under pressure to deliver, and that doesn't help and Formula 1 is brutal."
Wolff: A year away will help Schumacher
Schumacher had failed to match the big results set by teammate Kevin Magnussen, who claimed more points and secured a pole position for the Haas team. However, Wolff commented that he still had belief in Schumacher's abilities and suggested that a season away from the grid – a move similar to Daniel Ricciardo's – would be beneficial. "Maybe, in a way, having a year off as a third driver, similar to what Daniel does, can be good to reassess yourself and bring yourself better in a better place and then hopefully find a seat again," added Wolff. "He always impressed me from his personality. The first time I met him, which was in his first year in Formula 3 in Hockenheim. He's just a good person. "He won F3 and F2 and, as I said before, that can't come out of nowhere."
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