Herbert harsh on Schumacher: 'Damaging period means no one wants him in F1'
Mick Schumacher has been clear - he wishes to return to Formula 1. The former F1 driver was released by Haas at the end of 2022 after two poor seasons with the team. Although speculation as hinted at a return for the German, former F1 driver Johnny Herbert has ruled out this possibility.
Since departing Haas, Schumacher has been the reserve driver at Mercedes. In 2024, he also entered the WEC with Alpine. With seats available at both F1 teams, Schumacher had shared his desire to return to the top class motorsport. Alpine driver, Pierre Gasly, also shared his preferability to race alongside Schumacher, stating both him and Alpine F1 reserve driver Jack Doohan, are "very talented, very fast" and "already included in the team."
Why doesn't Herbert expect Schumacher to return?
Nevertheless, Herbert is not convinced that the former Haas driver has any potential to return. "It is damaging for a driver’s career when they are not able to beat your team-mate. Mick couldn’t do that," he told website topoffshoresportsbrooks.com. During his time with the team, Schumacher finished 19th in the standings in 2021, and 16th in 2022. His teammate, Kevin Magnussen, had 25 points, whilst Schumacher scored 12 in '22. It is for this reason Herbert said: "Mick is not on anyone’s shopping list.”