Pundit ’can’t imagine’ Schumacher replacing Sargeant

German Formula 1 pundits are split over whether rumours linking Mick Schumacher with a shock return to the grid might be true.

It is suggested that Schumacher, who lost his drive at Haas after his first two seasons in F1, might be in the running to replace struggling rookie Logan Sargeant at Williams.

"I can well imagine, through the connection between Toto Wolff and James Vowles, that there is a good chance for Mick to drive for Williams," said Sky Deutschland presenter Peter Hardenacke.

Indeed, Vowles was Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff’s right hand man for years until the 43-year-old Briton accepted an offer to become Mercedes-powered Williams’ new boss for 2023.

Schumacher, 24, is currently Mercedes’ full-time reserve driver.

However, German F1 commentator Sascha Roos doubts that Sargeant is really in immediate danger of losing his Williams seat.

"I can’t imagine Williams doing without an American due to the appeal of F1 at the moment," he said. "So I see Sargeant as firmly in the saddle.

"So it would mean (Alex) Albon would have to leave to free up the space, but that doesn’t seem realistic to me either," Roos added.

Hardenacke, on the other hand, thinks Schumacher does deserve another chance to shine in F1.

"The main thing is that Mick comes back to Formula 1 and he should do it quickly," he said. "He just deserves it, especially as we saw in the past year how he dealt with the enormous pressure.

"Mick had Kevin Magnussen in his pocket at times in the second half of the season and put up a good fight against him."