Schumacher rules out Indycar move for now

Mick Schumacher has ruled out eyeing a move to Indycar for now, even though a prominent former world champion doubts the 25-year-old German will return to F1 next year.

Schumacher this week said his return to the grid after a two-season absence was now "within reach", following tests in 2024 with Mercedes, Alpine and McLaren.

The 2021-2022 Haas driver, now Mercedes’ F1 reserve and racing for Alpine’s WEC program, has also been linked with Williams - but his best chance appears to be at Alpine, where Jack Doohan and Carlos Sainz are also contenders.

Schumacher thinks Sainz holds the key to the next phase of the ’silly season’.

"His decision will affect everything, because depending on where he goes, various seats will open or close," the son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher told the Spanish newspaper Diario Sport.

However, Jacques Villeneuve - who famously won his title in 1997 after a close and contentious clash with Mick’s father Michael - doubts the younger Schumacher will succeed.

"It seems that no team wants Mick Schumacher," said the Canadian.

"Mick and his team have made a push, but no one seems to be rushing to get him on their team."

Villeneuve, 53, thinks a major problem is that Schumacher’s former Haas boss Gunther Steiner ousted Mick after a sustained period of criticism of his performances in the cockpit.

"That’s worrying for the teams," he said. "Do they want to take the risk of hoping that Mick is better than he was? At the moment it doesn’t look like that."

Villeneuve thinks Schumacher’s best chance could be convincing team owner Audi to put a second German alongside Nico Hulkenberg at Sauber next year.

"If a team hires Mick as an F1 driver, it is because they want the Schumacher image," he said. "It’s a risk that Audi could be willing to take."

If a return to F1 doesn’t work out for Mick next year, he is declaring that staying in the Le Mans-centric World Endurance Championship is a good ’plan B’.

Schumacher rules out Indycar for now, despite recent rumours.

"I have never spoken to any Indycar team," he said. "I don’t know where that rumour comes from. I’m not thinking about it right now because it’s not my goal.

"My goal has always been Formula 1 and it will always remain Formula 1."