Mick Schumacher has been ‘lobbying hard’ for Cadillac F1 2026 seat

Mick Schumacher has been “lobbying hard” to seal an F1 return with the new Cadillac team, it has been claimed. 

The son of legendary seven-time world champion Michael has been seeking a way back onto the F1 grid after losing his seat at Haas at the end of the 2022 season.

Schumacher spent the following two years as Mercedes’ reserve driver before joining Alpine’s World Endurance Championship squad.

Cadillac’s arrival as the 11th team has opened up two more spots on the grid and given Schumacher renewed hope of returning to F1.

According to F1.com, Schumacher has been “lobbying hard to find a way into the Cadillac family for 2026”.

F1.com names Schumacher among the list of drivers under consideration at Cadillac, albeit a driver who is “further down the pecking order”.

Experienced options Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas are understood to be the frontrunners, with the likes of Schumacher, Zhou Guanyu and Felipe Drugovich also believed to be on the list of potential candidates.

Schumacher scored 12 points across 44 races for American outfit Haas between the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Both the German’s points finishes came in back-to-back races in Great Britain and Austria in 2022.

Schumacher’s best F1 result is sixth place, which he achieved at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Have Cadillac changed plans?

Cadillac originally held a desire to field an American driver alongside a more experienced grand prix driver, though this scenario is reportedly “becoming less likely for next year”.

Experience is now viewed as being “key” for Cadillac who will be led by team principal Graeme Lowdon.

“That's why Perez and Bottas are under such serious consideration at Cadillac and are the frontrunners – but is also why there are a few others still in the mix,” f1.com reports.

The report concludes that Cadillac are not in a rush to sign drivers but are keen to have at least one driver signed “before the end of the summer” to help with car development.

As a result, talks with drivers are expected to “accelerate in the coming weeks as they zero in on their debut line-up.”