Mick Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel team up for race beyond F1
Mick Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel are to pair up once again for the 2023 Race of Champions in Sweden in January. This will be the third time the pair have taken on the RoC challenge and will try and prove themselves on ice once again.
Take a bow, Team Nordic! Tom Kristensen and Johan Kristoffersson take the ROC Nations Cup after an epic battle against Sebastian Vettel and Mick Schumacher. #ROCMexico https://t.co/KlFNCR9pJS
Vettel and Schumacher will not participate in the 2023 F1 season as full-time drivers. The four-time world champion retired from the sport at the end of the 2022 F1 season. The F2 champion, on the other hand, was let go from Haas and will join Mercedes as a third driver next year.
Vettel finished as runner-up to rally legend Sébastien Loeb in the driver's class of the 2022 RoC. He won the Nations Cup six times with Mick Schumacher's father Michael Schumacher.
Sebastian Vettel said of the upcoming race:
“I’m delighted that Mick will be joining me at the Race Of Champions again – for my first race since my retirement from Formula 1. Neither of us has much experience on snow and ice so it was a steep learning curve in Sweden earlier this year."
He added:
"I ended up surprising myself by getting to the individual final against Sébastien Loeb and now I can’t wait to come back and team up with Mick to see if we can take Team Germany all the way to another ROC Nations Cup title.”
Mick Schumacher's Mercedes move is a win-win for both, claims former driver
mick schumacher & sebastian vettel - ROC https://t.co/tXSlXsmdH0
Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher claims Mick Schumacher's Mercedes move is a 'win-win' situation for both sides. He stated that the German team now has a great driver should they need him and Schumacher can also learn a lot in a big team like Mercedes.
Mick Schumacher failed to impress in his two-year stint with Haas, having been regularly outperformed by his teammate Kevin Magnussen this year. As a result, the German driver lost his F1 seat and will take on the role of a third driver at Mercedes in 2023.
His uncle Ralf Schumacher is happy for the F2 champion as this will give him a chance to learn under a highly experienced squad. Plus, if Mercedes should ever need a replacement driver, the former Haas driver will be their go-to choice.
Ralf Schumacher told Sky Germany:
“I think it’s a win-win situation for both sides. One, for the team they have a great driver, if they need a replacement short term, if one of the drivers for some reason can not drive. And the next is of course that he is now in the team where he can learn a lot, first of all through a new structure, a big structure."
He added:
"For me, I think it’s a great opportunity because he now has an experienced team, with two experienced team-mates, and above all, for a change, a team that is happy that he is there.”
The former F2 champion will play a huge role in Mercedes' simulator testing. He will look to help Lewis Hamilton and George Russell get back to the top of the sport in 2023.