Sebastian Vettel announced on Thursday his decision to retire from Formula 1 at the end of this season, sparking speculation about who could take his seat.
Aston Martin reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg is one of the most obvious candidates, along with drivers expiring at the end of this campaign such as Fernando Alonso, Alexander Albon and Mick Schumacher.
Since the arrival of the young German driver from Haas in F1, Vettel has been his greatest defender, in the same way that Mick’s father, Michael Schumacher, tried to help Vettel when he landed in the top flight.
Asked by Motorsport.com if he saw the young Mick Schumacher as a possible successor, the four-time champion admitted that discussions with team owner Lawrence Stroll about his plans to retire had raised the issue of who could take his seat. .
However, the German did not want to get too wet about it either.
“Obviously I spoke to Lawrence yesterday and told him I wasn’t going to continue,” Vettel said.
“We had a very, very brief chat about what the next step might be for them.”
“I have my opinion. I mean, I have a great concept of Mick. Obviously I’m not totally objective, because I’m very close to him. But I think he’s a great driver.”
Sebastian Vettel, at the wheel of his Aston Martin AMR22, battling Mick Schumacher on track
“He’s still a learner, still learning when others seem to stagnate, or stop progressing. So he has the qualities, but he’s also still very young, and he doesn’t have a lot of experience.”
“So I don’t know, it’s not my decision either. If they ask me, I’ll give my opinion and I won’t hold anything back, but in the end it’s the team that has to make this decision.”
Reacting to Sebastian Vettel ‘s withdrawal, his great protégé, Mick Schumacher , said that his compatriot “will leave a big void in the category”.
When Vettel’s words were transferred to him, the youngster from Haas preferred to play down any possible interest in the Aston Martin seat for 2023, acknowledging that he only wants to be focused on the present.
“Well, you know, obviously, I think I still have a lot to do here [at Haas ],” he said.
“So that’s what I’m focused on right now. And, you know, what the future holds, we’ll see.”
“Never say never. But, you know, obviously I’m focused right now on the Budapest weekend, to do my best with Haas,” he concluded.
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