Top News

Mick Schumacher is reportedly a strong contender for a role with the new Cadillac team after months of talks with the latest squad to join the Formula One grid. The German racer has been chasing a return to the F1 grid since losing his Haas seat to Nico Hulkenberg ahead of the 2023 season. Since then, he has been Mercedes' test driver and embarked on a career in the World Endurance Championship with Alpine, but no full-time drive in open-wheel racing has materialised.

Now, after spending the last two seasons impressing with Alpine's WEC programme, Schumacher is at least heading towards a return to the F1 paddock. The 26-year-old had previously held multiple rounds of talks with team principal Graeme Lowdon and expressed his optimism about working towards a full-time seat.

However, according to a report from The Race, Schumacher's involvement in the Cadillac project will likely be in a test and reserve driver capacity. The deal would also involve a drive in the Cadillac Team Jota WEC squad, where he would replace the outgoing Jenson Button.

While this arrangement would be a positive step for Schumacher, he had hoped to secure a full-time return to the grid. However, with Sergio Perez reportedly in agreement over a deal with Cadillac for 2026 and Valtteri Bottas also in advanced talks with the American squad, there is little room at the inn.

That said, Schumacher is highly regarded by team principal Lowdon. "Mick is great," he told Sky Germany. "He's a very nice guy, I like him a lot. I've got to know him better now.

For the latest breaking stories and headlines, sign up to our Daily Express F1 newsletter, or join our WhatsApp community here.

"He's still young, but he already has Formula One experience. Of course, that was a while ago, but he's kept himself up to date. He has also completed tests and shows great interest in the project."

While Lowdon is keen, 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve questioned why Cadillac would want to snap up the former Haas racer. "Mick Schumacher had a hard time when he was at Haas," he told Vision4Sport. "He's not an experienced driver either. There's no reason to go for him.

"Bottas has a lot of experience, and he's shown that he can win races. And he's been with an amazing team in Mercedes. So that's good attributes to have. It's hard to judge his Sauber years. I don't think there was any hunger there."