Surprise Cadillac lifeline touted for Mick Schumacher, but he's not racing

Mick Schumacher has once again been linked with Cadillac’s new F1 project, but not as a race driver.

The 26-year-old German could be in line for a reserve and development driver role with the American outfit when they make their F1 debut in 2026 as the 11th team, according to The Race.

Schumacher, the son of legendary seven-time wold champion Michael, hasn’t raced in F1 since being dropped by Haas at the end of the 2022 season.

The 2020 Formula 2 champion contested 43 grands prix and scored 12 points across a two-season stint in F1.

Since losing his full-time F1 drive, Schumacher acted as Mercedes’ test and reserve driver before joining Alpine’s World Endurance Championship programme.

Schumacher is one of several drivers linked as options for Cadillac for next year.

Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas appear to be the frontrunners to land the two race seats, however.

Mick Schumacher’s F1 return chances assessed

Schumacher’s prospects of returning to F1 with Cadillac were recently debated by F1 presenter and reporter Lawrence Barretto and former IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe.

“Obviously he's done his two seasons, they weren't the best. I think he's probably as a driver grown since then. He went on to that Mercedes reserve role, learned, I imagine, an awful lot in that position," Hinchcliffe told the F1 channel.

“I mean, it's exactly what Valtteri is doing now. So, there's something to that position. Then he went back to full-time racing, which I do think is important. I think it's important to stay racing sharp. So, it's not an unappealing option.

"I'm always going to default to the two most experienced guys, if I'm in charge of this programme, but if for whatever reason one of those two doesn't work out, then yeah, it's one to seriously consider because again, natural speed was there.

"If you look at his junior career, it always took him kind of a year and a half to really get up to speed with a car. We saw a little bit of that with Haas, it wasn't quite enough for him to retain that ride.

“But if he had a long-term project, something he could start fresh with, and you knew that you had the runway to really learn, they're going to most likely not be battling for points first time out.

"So, there's maybe a little bit less pressure on it. It could be an environment where he could excel.”

Barretto added: “He’s doing what he can to try and get himself in the mix.

“He’s trying to spend a lot of time talking with the General Motors executives. He’s obviously at Alpine racing in the World Endurance Championship, so he’s trying to stay sharp on that side of things.”